Kingdom Hearts: The Final Light
by Skychild101
Summary: An everlasting darkness...a forbidden power. When Sora was finally relaxing, the peace that came, a new evil arrived, threatening the worlds once more. In order to defeat it, Sora must be willingly gain a new power-the one that could ultimately destroy the very source of evil for good while bringing in the final light.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! I'm very excited to start a Kingdom Hearts story! I guess it'll be my version of Kingdom Hearts III (which will come out very soon!) I've recently became obsessing with it (I know, I know. Where have I been all that time?) and it looks so much fun 3 of course, I have a crush on Sora XD and I can't stop playing his sacrificing song T_T damn it Sora. Although Riku's not that bad hehehe so that being said, this is my very first Kingdom Hearts story so I hope you'll stick with me till the end—it's going to be a long one! So without further ado, let's get started!

* * *

Prologue:

The area itself was dark and unwelcoming, blotting out any darkness. Only a mysterious fog with gloomy clouds filled the surroundings. It barely had any feel of warmth in the room; it was just cold and empty, lifeless.

"You think you can take over? Ha, not a chance!" a confident voice spoke.

The voice belonged to a figure who looked tattered and bruised, having cuts on his body. He looked worn out and if another strike hit him, he won't be able to survive. He felt his energy draining and he knew he wouldn't make out alive…if only there was some miracle.

Ever since that day, the person felt that there was something strange going on. He kept visiting the room for changes that were repeatedly being made. He gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on the handle.

He didn't want to call the others; they deserve a break after all the savings they had done. It wasn't fair to them. They needed to rest.

A deep rumbling laugh snapped him out of his thoughts and with anger, he glared at the massive figure that was in front of him. In fact, the massive shadow wasn't a person to begin with. In all honesty, the fighter wasn't really sure what it was in the first place. The entire being was just made out of shadows; that was it. It was created out of dark matter that got absorbed into this large figure.

"You imbecile! What hopes do you have in defeating me when I am the true form of darkness? You cannot hope to defeat me for I am all that is powerful!" the shadow boomed and the ferocity in its voice actually made the fighter be scared.

Just a little.

The person growled, his eyes dangerously being narrowed at the shadow. "You're wrong! I can defeat you! I _will_!" he then swung his weapon around so that the front was pointing at the being. "You shall be vanquished! Be gone, you foul fiend!"

The weapon began to glow than it did before though that didn't faze its owner. He kept his hard stare at the enemy while concentrating on his power that glowed brighter and brighter, radiating the room with its powerful light. This managed to give the dark being an annoyed roar from the light as it lifted its hand, placing it in front of his face like a shield.

The fighter gave a small smug as it seemed to be working but he could feel that he was slowly fading away. He didn't know just how much longer he would be able to fight this out.

 _Please. Just a little longer…just until I vanquish this fiend!_

Maybe just maybe, if he was able to defeat this monstrosity by himself then there would be no need to call the others. Hell, he wouldn't even need to tell them what was happening but he would have to give them a good explanation on how he got the bruises and such.

"Now!" the person exclaimed, releasing a huge amount of radiating light towards the beast.

The foul fiend roared with agony as it felt the fiery light scorching its skin. The person grinned a little, watching as how the massive energy was slowly burning the shadow away. Raging with fury, the terrible being lifted its other free arm before straightening it, unleashing a massive streak of dark power.

The fighter widened his eyes as he knew he was done for. He closed his eyes and then, the massive wave of energy washed him over, sending him flying backwards at such a brutal speed that he crashed at a wall roughly before sliding down, slumped, barely unconscious.

The brute laughed maliciously as it prepared itself to launch another attack to finish the fighter once and for all. The shadow released its power and it rushed towards the fallen fighter at an incredible speed. However, before it could even reach the weakened warrior, something materialized in front of it as though it came from nowhere.

The newcomer appeared from a ball of light that shone brightly like the sun and the shadow screeched painfully from the blinding light, stopping its attack. It was as though time was suddenly frozen on the spot. Its illuminating eerie eyes turned around to look down at the fighter. It seemed as though that these two knew each other but everything was blurry for the hero who tried to stay conscious.

"I'll take it from here. You must go. Don't worry about me. You must go. You have to tell the others. There is no choice. I'll take you to them," the stern voice ordered.

The person could barely nod his head.

"Good," his eyes then soften. "Take care…and please…please, tell the others about what's to come. This thing…this being…it's not of this world. The worlds may be in danger once more," he slightly winced as the power of the darkness was beginning to take a toll on him.

With that, the figure raised his hands up and then he brought them closer so that a ball of light was created. He released it, sending it towards the person and just like that, the fighter was gone.

Eyes filled with fury, the newcomer seemed to made time go back to its normal flow but just in time, he created a shield that would block the terrible power.

"Be gone!" he yelled, raising his hands once more and the light that filled the room glowed even brighter until it began to consume the entire room.

* * *

The figure panted heavily; his vision was disoriented. Horrible injuries were taking a toll on him as he staggered, swaying left and right as he used the wall for support.

 _I must get…to them…_

He winced when he felt the pain surging through his body. However, when he reached the great giant doors, he wanted to collapse right there. He barely had the strength to even open them.

 _I…must…_

Gathering the strength of what he had, (which was very little), he finally managed to open the doors after several tries. The great doors groaned upon being opened and he resumed staggering. He was relieved when he saw the very figures he needed to see. They were all in this very room.

"Oh dear…what are we going to do?" a worried female voice spoke.

"I don't know, your Highness, but when His Majesty gets back, he'll tell us! I'm positive that he had beaten the terrible creature!"

"M—Minnie…"

Upon hearing the soft voice, Minnie turned around only to gasp from shock and horror. She quickly rushed towards the fallen person who collapsed on her arms.

"Mickey!" Minnie exclaimed, horrified at his state. "What happened? Mickey! Mickey!"

But, Mickey was no longer able to hear the crying pleas from his Queen or from his advisors. Before he passed out, he was able to utter a one single word before he went blacked out.

"S…S—ora…" and then, he knew no more.

Somewhere far away, on another island where it was known to be called as Destiny Island, a boy with brown spikey hair opened his eyes, being awakened with a start.

 **Author's Note:** Whoo, things are rolling in! So now you know who that 'fighter' was at the beginning but who was the newcomer who took care of the shadow being? Where did it come from? What will happen to Sora? Will I ever stop asking questions? What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	2. A Duty Calls

Chapter 1: A Duty Calls

Sora gazed upwards at the clear cloudless sky before closing them. The sun was shining brightly, casting its rays down as the water glittered like diamonds. He let out a soft sigh as he was lost in his thoughts. There was a small breeze but he took no notice of it. Sora remembered how it all began—how the three of them wanted to venture out of Destiny Islands to explore the world but things went terribly wrong.

Sora thought that he supposed something came out good like meeting new friends such as Goofy and Donald whom they reunited with their King. It took forever for Sora to find Riku while also regaining back Kairi. He hoped that nothing bad would happen to them.

"Honestly, how lazy can you get? You sure he doesn't have some kind of hearing problems?" a snarky voice remarked.

"Riku, don't be mean to him! He deserves to rest after saving the world," a female chastised him.

The boy, Riku, shifted his eyes upwards to give a glance at the girl who was beside him. He grinned mischievously.

"You sure you don't have a crush on him? I practically found you spying on him when he was training," he paused. "Oh yeah; he was half naked at that time."

"Riku!" the girl hissed though her face was being reddened from embarrassment. He chuckled evilly.

"You know, you should really mind your own business," the mumbling voice from Sora came which made Riku be surprised.

"Exactly!" the girl cried out although she couldn't help but to think about Sora's muscles. He really did had nice abs…oh God. Did she really just thought that out? The girl shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts.

Sora cracked open his eyes only to have his eyes meet with bright blue-green and blue eyes.

"And I'm not lazy," Sora pointed out as he pushed himself up. "Can I help it if I'm enjoying the view?"

Riku grinned. "Enjoying or sleeping?"

Sora scowled. "You're impossible…"

"Aww, but you love me, right?"

The brown-haired boy snorted. "Yeah right…"

Riku placed a hand over his heart, pretending to be hurt. Riku straightened up as he made a thinking look, studying his short friend. He sighed, having his hand run through his hair as he remembered the adventures they had. Although to him, his journey wasn't as fun as it was with Sora's. In some ways, Riku was almost jealous of him but he pushed those jealousy thoughts away since at the time, Riku was just happy that he had finally rejoined back to his friends.

Still though, the idea of being manipulated from darkness still haunted his mind, plaguing him from every dark corner of his mind. He even found that sleeping was almost impossible because of those nightmares. Almost every night, he would find himself awakened in the middle of the night.

But as long as he has his friends, he should be alright.

Sora sighed, closing his eyes, having flashbacks until a voice entered in his mind.

 _Remember this. You'll be the one who will open the door…_

Sora reopened them and he found himself gazing across the horizon of the sea. Indeed he was, he supposed. Sora shook his head.

No, stop. No more thinking about Kingdom Hearts. No more talk of darkness.

He was home. He was with his friends. And that's all he should care about. Of course, there was one side of him where he longed to have an answer which was about his parents. He often wondered about them but he had no answers. Perhaps Merlin would know.

"Come on guys. Why so serious?" Kairi said, placing a hand on her hip. She brushed her auburn bangs away from her face and she studied the two boys. She made a thinking look before giving a small grin. "Hey, I've got an idea. Since you two love to be so competitive against each other, let's have a small match! Say…the loser has to the winner's chores for a month!"

Something sparkled in Riku's eyes. "The bet's too tempting but I've got a better bet. The one who wins has to confess his undying love for Kairi," he smirked as Sora widened his eyes before he hid his emotions.

Kairi gasped, having her eyes go wide as her face was being reddened. She hadn't expected that at all.

"Riku!" Kairi said, gently smacking him on his arm. "What are you playing at?"

"Nothing at all," Riku said lazily as he had his eyes fall down at Sora who was still trying to compose himself. Riku gave him a sly smile which made Sora clench his fists, giving him a small glare as Sora wanted nothing more than to throw Riku out at the ocean and say it was an accident.

"Oh," Riku continued. "And the loser also has to the winner's chores," he added, bringing back Kairi's idea.

"What?" Sora exclaimed as he picked himself up. "Oh, you're on!" he was excited to beat Riku since he had gotten rather great at fighting during his journey. But at the same time, he felt a little awkward with the other bet.

Sora merely thought Kairi as a friend. That was it…

Or was it?

All in all, Sora was confused with his feelings while Kairi smiled.

"Well, alright then. Let's go to the arena!"

After gathering their gears, the three of them were at their usual training area. In all honesty, Sora felt a little childish as he was holding his wooden sword. He had no idea what happened to his Keyblade.

Maybe it went into an eternal sleep?

Either way, he misses the magic it releases and the feeling you get when you take a hold of.

Riku's eyes sparkled with amusement as he stared at the determined Sora.

"Ready to lose?" Riku asked, smirking.

"Ha, you wish! You're talking to a pro!" Sora exclaimed, pointing the sword's tip forward.

"Ready guys?" Kairi shouted. "On mark...get set...duel!"

The two boys stared at each other before Sora made a move first by charging at him.

Smirking, Riku side stepped him before he spun behind him. As he spun, Riku lowered himself down in order to sweep Sora off his feet.

Sora fell down, giving out a small grunt. Giving out a charged yell, Sora turned his head around to see that Riku was ready to attack as he was leaping forward.

Acting quickly, Sora rolled to the left, letting Riku's sword plunge to the ground.

"Hey guys! We wanna keep this clean, right?" Kairi shouted.

Sora smirked. "Clean? Yeah right."

Sora then used his foot to kick Riku in the stomach and he stumbled backwards, allowing Sora to get up so that he could perform a halfway spin with his sword.

However, Riku quickly recovered since he automatically lifted his sword to be in front of him, blocking the blow.

The two gave a stare; their sly grins never left their lips. Riku twirled his arm around so that his sword went over Sora's weapon but Sora followed Riku's pattern and he blocked Riku's blade.

A sparkle of amusement twinkled in his eyes.

"I admit. You are better," Riku spoke. "You aren't that puny kid I used to push around."

"Hey!"

Riku smirked before he roughly pushed Sora from the side and then he used the same trick from before which was sweeping Sora off his feet.

However, Sora saw this coming and he leaped backwards, avoiding the sweep but Riku was faster and he did the same move again just as Sora was about to land on the ground.

Sora grunted, having his sword being scattered out of his hand. He was about to grab it but Riku kicked it away, kicking up some sand in Sora's face in the process. He pinned Sora's arm down before he climbed on him, pinning him.

Riku then raised his sword, getting ready to attack.

As he was about to attack, a demanding voice entered Riku's mind.

 _Kill him!_

Sora stared at Riku who seemed to not stop the plunge. He raised his free arm in front of his face acting like a shield.

"Riku!" Kairi shouted.

Riku gasped and he seemed to have been brought back to reality since he plunged the sword a few inches away from Sora's shoulder.

Riku gritted his teeth as he pulled himself together, straightening up.

"I'm sorry..." he breathed heavily, getting off from Sora.

"It's alright..." Sora panted.

Riku shook his head, getting up.

"Wait, Riku!" Sora exclaimed as he also got up to go after him. He grabbed his hand, stopping Riku from going any further. "It was an accident, okay? I'm fine, really. It was a wooden sword."

Riku shook his hand off which made Sora be hurt but he didn't show it.

"What if it wasn't?"

Sora softened his face and he was about to reach out for Riku again when all of a sudden, his hand began to feel weird.

It felt light and fuzzy, tingling from all sides. It was then where Sora widened his eyes as he saw his hand being dissolved into white particles.

"What the?"

Riku turned around, widening his eyes. "Sora!"

He tried to reach out for him but failed since Sora disappeared.

"Sora, no!" came Kairi's voice as she ran up to him.

"What's happening to him?" Riku cried out.

"I don't know but look! It's happening to you too!" Kairi pointed out to Riku who also started to disappear in the same manner as Sora.

"And you as well!" Riku said.

Kairi brought her hand up, gaping at it.

And then, the white particles completely dissolved them away until they were gone.

* * *

Sora gasped as he suddenly felt himself being whole again. He patted against him, just to make sure that he really was whole.

He gave out a sigh. Boy, that was really scary. But what exactly happened?

"Sora?"

Sora turned around to see Kairi and Riku who also materialized behind him. The two of them wore a confused look just like how Sora did.

"Where are we?" Kairi asked.

Sora turned around, studying the room. That was a good question. He didn't know but something about this area was familiar. It was white with tall ceiling and marble floor. The huge windows were stretched down, symbolizing its fancy environment.

Riku walked forward as he squinted his eyes. In the far distance, he was able to make out what it seemed to be two tall chairs.

"I'd say we're in a throne room," Riku announced.

"What makes you say that?" Sora asked.

"Because those chairs look like thrones..." Riku jerked his head towards the structures. He gave another glance at it only to see that the chairs appeared to have something on it. "Something's on it."

Sora frowned. Upon them, he thought he saw something sitting there. Maybe it was his imagination but after getting a better look from the second time around, Sora widened his eyed with realization as he knew exactly where they were.

"I know that figure! It is someone. That someone is His Majesty, King Mickey!"

 **Author's Note:** whoo finally got it done which is good because its like literally one in the morning so if there's any mistakes, I apologize :3 what happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	3. Bits and Pieces

Chapter 2: Bits and Pieces

Riku gaped at the figure, eyes squinting.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm positive," Sora nodded as he began to run towards him. "Mickey!"

He halted in his tracks when he reached him and Sora went on his knees to pay the proper respect. When he lifted his head, he gasped at the appearance of Mickey.

"Your Majesty?" there was a hint of shock and confusion when he saw the state of Mickey.

"What happened?" Kairi asked.

"Oh! Sora, Riku, Kairi! I'm so glad to see you!" a new voice spoke.

The trio turned their attention at Queen Minnie who came running towards them. She was a mess. It looked as though she hadn't slept in days since there were bags under her eyes and her dress was wrinkled which wasn't very suited for a Queen. And there was quite a troubled look on her face which worried Sora.

"I know you're probably anxious to know what has happened which is why I need you to come with me."

"Wait…" Mickey closed his eyes. "I'll come with you."

"But you can barely stand up!" Minnie blurted. "You need to stay here with Donald and Goofy until you get healed."

"Donald and Goofy are here?" Sora said.

Minnie nodded. "Yes. They're currently gathering up some medicine for Mickey but now come! We have much to discuss."

A few minutes later, the group found themselves inside a study room. Once they gathered themselves, Minnie resumed talking.

"Okay, what has happened?" Sora asked once more.

"I'm afraid that the worlds are in terrible danger once again," Minnie answered, letting out the terrible news.

Sora gaped, staring at the Queen with wide eyes. "What? Are you sure? I thought we defeated every evil there ever was."

Minnie nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I thought so too until one day, Mickey started to act strange. He informed us of the situation that was happening at the Cornerstone; it appeared that something was messing it up. For days, he began to do some research, always seeking for Merlin and when he finally had it, he entered into the Realm of Darkness only to find something terrifying lurking in there."

"What was it?" Riku quizzed.

"He wasn't so sure. All he saw was just a form that was made out of darkness completely. And that was why he was currently in that state. Something's massive is out there. That was why he had summoned. If things weren't that serious, he wouldn't have summon you."

"Oh, so that's why I started to disappear into white light…" Sora replied, recalling back to the scene. He sighed, lifting his head up as he placed his arms behind his head. "Man, just when I get a chance to relax, another new evil comes. When it'll end?"

"As long as there's evil, it'll never end," another voice spoke.

Sora turned around and saw Mickey who was holding the edge of the door for support. "Your Majesty!"

"Mickey! You're supposed to rest! Any more movement and they won't be healed," Minnie spoke as she scurried towards him so that he had more support.

"There are two sides of everything. One cannot exist without the other so it's nearly impossible for evil to truly disappear," Mickey replied, accepting Minnie's help.

Sora sighed. "Well, I can dream, can't I?"

Mickey gave a small smile. "Trust me, Sora. We all wish that all evil could disappear."

"Yeah…" Sora muttered.

"However, during my time of research, I've also discovered something else. Some say it's a blessing; others say it's a curse," Mickey let go of Minnie and shuffled towards the table that had scattered books which were opened. Mickey shoved the other books away and then he picked up a book.

"This book," Mickey continued, showing it to them. "May hold the answers to everything we need."

The book was purple with tints of gold outlining it. In the middle was an intricate small rod with wings that were at the top. It had a purple jewel in the center. It appeared to have some intricate designs at the center.

"It sure is pretty," Kairi commented.

"Yes, it is indeed. But it is also why it's so dangerous. This book may contain the answers we were all desperately seeking. It may tell us how to defeat this new evil once and for all. During my time, I've went on a little research to find out more about this book. Turns out that someone with enough power, with enough strength, may unlock a new set of power."

Sora's eyes sparkled with delight. "Really? That's so cool!"

"Woah there, tiger. If I remember correctly, even learning a new sort of power, in order to obtain it, magic always comes with a price," Riku said. "So even if you did manage to learn it, you may not like the outcome."

Mickey nodded. "Riku's right, Sora. That is why you mustn't get it in your head. But, unfortunately, things aren't always what they seem. To gain this power, one must summon it."

Sora frowned. "Summon? What do you mean? Like make a spell or something?"

Mickey nodded. "Yes," he then gritted his teeth. "But it's not that easy."

Sora sighed. "Here we go. There's always a catch to something…"

Riku slightly nudged Sora at his rubs which made him wince. Sora gave Riku a soft glare but Riku motioned his head as though to tell him 'to be nice'.

"I'm sorry but I'm not the one who made these rules. You can never be too careful with magic."

Sora gave him a faint smile. "It's okay. Hey, by the way, how did you manage to get that book? It wasn't there the last time I was here."

"That's because this book just suddenly appeared out of nowhere," Mickey responded which made Sora be surprised.

"Appeared? Just like that? Like on its own or something?" Sora spoke.

"Yes but I have a different theory on my own. I think it may have to do something with Merlin or it may be because of the new evil it arrived and it knew that we need help," Mickey theorized.

Sora made a thinking look. "Merlin, huh? You mentioned him twice and I haven't seen him since we arrived here. Where is he?"

The fact that Mickey looked trouble didn't suited with Sora. Sora frowned as Mickey awkwardly shifted in his spot.

"I…I don't know to be honest," Mickey said as he rubbed his neck."

"Um, so I need to interrupt but before Sora talked out of turn, you said that it wasn't easy getting this new power. How come? Couldn't you just read it off from the book that was given to you?" Kairi asked.

Mickey shook his head. "No, you can't and the reason why you can't is because its pages are blank."

As he said that, he opened the book only to reveal that there was nothing inside except for a page that looked like it had been torn.

 **Author's Note: **So, I do have a picture of that book. If you click on the book image icon of this story, you'll see the book which is in the middle. This book is important for this story as it'll *spoiler alert* tie in for the final battle. So there'll be two more chapters regarding with information about the evil before things will get kicked in. Can you guess what the first world would be? What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	4. The Lost Pages

**Shout Outs:** Thanks to LauralKelley99 for favoring and following the story.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Lost Pages

Sora gaped at the book that contained no pages except for that rip. Eyes wide, he took the book and looked at it from the front and the back.

"Wait, what? What happened to the pages?" Sora asked with disbelief.

"That's the thing. I don't know," Mickey responded. He, too, was befuddled by this.

"But if the book was summoned to us, why didn't bother to appear if it didn't had any pages?" Sora questioned.

"That's a very good question," Mickey nodded. "But I have no idea. Without the pages, the book is useless. This contain countless spells of magic which is why it is very important that we keep this book protected even if it doesn't have anything in it. But I do have a theory as to where the pages might be. They may have been scattered throughout the different worlds—worlds where you haven't even been to. I'm not sure if they might be in places where you have been to before but it doesn't hurt to check."

Sora nodded and a flash of determination etched onto his look. "Don't worry, your Majesty. We'll help you gather those pages back."

Mickey smiled. "I knew I could count on you but," he then turned to serious. "You three aren't going alone."

"Aww, come on. I know how to travel; we can find our way," Sora muttered.

"No exceptions. During this trip, you'll expect to fight some greater foes than you had ever faced."

Sora snorted. "Come on. Who can be worse than Maleficent or the Organization or any other ones we fought?"

"Don't be too cocky, Sora. These are foes who'll be more advanced than before. They'll do everything in their power to break you three apart," Mickey warned. "Do not take them lightly."

"Already been there. Done that," Sora mumbled as he rubbed his arms. He still remembered the time where he had endlessly searched for Riku and Kairi and when he finally found them, that was the moment where he truly broke apart.

However, another thought entered his mind and Sora asked.

"Wait…there's one more thing…" Sora continued. "This happened before you summoned us. Riku and I were having a practice sword fight but when we were getting ready to attack, we found out that we couldn't call upon our Keyblades. Why is this?"

Mickey went deep in thought before he spoke. "Hmm…it might be because at that time, there was no known evil and therefore, it wasn't necessary for them to appear. They may have went into a deep sleep but now that a new evil had arisen, the Keyblades will most likely appear."

Sora nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

Mickey made a small smile. "You have no reason to worry. Everything will fall in its place and will flow normally. You'll get the hang of having the Keyblade back in no time! Now, then. I do believe it's time for me to call upon them!"

"We're right here, your Majesty. Armed and ready to fight those senseless creeps back to their reality!"

The three friends turned around and there, Donald and Goofy appeared at the front of the entrance. Sora widened his eyes with delight, running towards them.

"Donald! Goofy!" he cried out. "I haven't seen you each other in ages!"

Sora hugged Donald who let out an exclaim of shout from the unexpected hug.

"Hey, watch the feathers!" Donald exclaimed. Sora chuckled as he placed him back down.

"Grumpy as always, huh? I guess some things haven't changed," Sora grinned which earned laughs from the group as Donald scowled even though he just proven Sora's point.

"Nice to see you too," Donald muttered angrily.

"What about me, Sora?" Goofy said.

Sora grinned. "I can't forget about you, Goofy," he said as he hugged him.

"Gee…so for them, you have warm hugs and for us, you give us 'M'kay. Come back another time,' thanks Sora," Riku muttered.

Sora awkwardly stood in his spot. "Well uhm…they were my travelling buddies and hey," he said as he composed himself, having his arms cross over his chest. "It's not like you two were with me 24/7. You were too busy 'ruling the darkness' and getting kidnapped."

Kairi growled softly before she slightly gave a punch on Sora's arm which made him rub his arm.

"What was that for?" he cried out.

Riku chuckled. "For letting out the truth."

Sora gave a sheepish grin, placing his hand behind his head. "So uhm…what happens now?" he tried to change the subject even though he already knew what the answer was.

Gather up your wits, strengths, Keyblades and go save the world.

Again.

It's not that Sora didn't mind saving the world—he found it intriguing and he was able to see just how different the worlds can be while also learning new abilities—but the fact that he almost never gets rest, it's going to eventually get to him.

"I think you already know what the answer is, Sora," Mickey said, letting out a small smirk.

"Yeah…I know it too…" Sora sighed before he turned to face the group. "Alright, guys! Let's head out to the Gummi ship where we can pick our first destination."

"Right," Donald said.

The rest of them followed Donald, Minnie and Goofy while Sora stayed behind. He had one more question.

"Something the matter, Sora?" Mickey asked quietly.

Sora nodded. "You know how I mentioned when Riku and I were doing a sword fight? Well…" he hesitated as the flashback came, showing how Riku was about to plunge down on him. "Riku acted strange for a moment. He couldn't stop bringing the sword down on me but the Riku I know wouldn't that. Could something still be living inside of Riku?"

Mickey made a grave expression as he was registering the information. "I don't know Sora but don't take any chances. Protect Riku. Protect Kairi. Protect everyone. I'm assuming darkness never really left Riku so that may have something to do with his action but don't drop your guard," he said sternly. "Dark times are coming along with a terrible storm. You must be brave. You must have courage."

Sora nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

With that, Sora exited out of the room with Mickey staring after him though a troubled thought came across his mind.

 _I fear it may already be too late._

Biting his lip, Mickey turned the other way around so that he was walking towards drawer of the desk. However, before he opened it, he glanced behind to make sure that he was alone and when he was, he pulled out the drawer to reveal a piece of paper where he picked it up.

As Mickey was skimming through it, he suddenly felt a presence—a presence that was familiar to him and so he turned around only to have his eyes met with a blue-white flame that appeared from nowhere. He gasped, eyes widening at the fire as the figure came but Mickey didn't backed down since he knew who this was. He was surprised—shock, even—that he even came here at all.

With a knowing look, Mickey spoke. "I knew you'd come here."

 **Author's Note:** Alright. Things are starting to get picked up! Party in da house and if there was one world where I didn't like—it seemed to be the most boring one—it would be Atlantica. So, who appeared in front of Mickey? Where is the first destination? What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	5. A New Kind of Evil

Chapter 4: A New Kind of Evil

The room was cold, lacking of any warmth. Cold shudders would go down people's spine as the room would scream out 'turn back'. There was such a heavy aura of evil in here that it does not do well for the faintest of heart. Eerie shadows were casted on the walls from the faint light that was trying to squeeze in but it was futile. The area was empty or so it seemed since there were new group of shadows that appeared to be dancing around the cold stoned floor.

It was silent—a disturbing one—before a loud heaved sigh was heard and like that, it seemed to have the massive form of blubber grew larger. It then opened its menacing red eyes as it peered through the darkness like it was searching for something.

It gave out a loud rumbling sigh once it found whatever it was looking for.

"I know you're there," the voice boomed, shaking the room with its mighty tone. "Show yourself!"

And there, from the corner of the shadow, no one would've thought that someone was actually there since it blended in so perfectly. The silhouette began to grow until it emerged as a solid figure. Maybe the only thing was noticeable was its shiny dull green orb that appeared to be sitting onto something although no one could tell except for this character.

"And here I was thinking that I would make a grand entrance," her silkily voice drawled out.

"Hmph. That was hardly an impressive entrance…" the terrifying voice muttered.

The new figure narrowed her eyes as she bore her yellow eyes upon the shadow that stood before her.

"Why did you call me?"

The being fixed its stare upon the person and then it spoke. "I've heard a lot about you…Maleficent."

The person, Maleficent, straightened herself, giving a sense of regal.

"What is it that you want?" she spoke coldly, her eyes never left the darkness.

The mysterious silhouette smirked as it continued. "Think of this as you being my right hand. Who else but you I can trust to carry out my orders while making sure that they were done? My plan is simple; bring out the heroes, make them fight my minions all the while plunging the world into total darkness."

Maleficent didn't faze at what she just had been told. Instead, she merely raised one of her eyebrows, a playful twitch escaped her mouth.

"You know something else too, don't you? If you had all the power at your hands, how come I don't see you carrying out your desired plans?" she paused as a cruel smile was made. "Something's stopping you…"

A low, dangerous growl came from the shadow. "That brat…the one who holds the Keyblade. He holds the power I need…he's not the only that's stopping me…there's a book…"

Maleficent raised an eyebrow. "A book?"

The being narrowed its eyes. "Don't judge things by its appearances. This book is nothing to laugh about if you know its true nature. It holds an immense power—the power you dream of. If I have it, I would be ruling the world with an iron fist," it growled.

Maleficent rolled her eyes at the drama. "So go and get it then."

However, instead of being angered, the being merely let out a laugh which didn't intimidated Maleficent.

"You fool…" it hissed. "This book…it's not that easy to get. No one knows its location. No one mightier knows where it was."

The sorcerer smiled evilly. "Not even the mightier wizard, Merlin?" she said, amused.

"Not even him, despite how powerful and knowledgeable he is, even he doesn't know where it is. Enough talk about him. It is crucial that you find this book. You must get it before the brat who calls himself 'Sora'."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll get the minions to search for it."

"It's not that simple. The book wouldn't just appear randomly. It would only appear when it is in need but if the book has already appeared then its pages are lost. Scattered throughout different worlds. You must obtain the pages for that page contains a spell that would allow you to gain a new power."

"A new power, huh?" Maleficent replied, being in thought.

Knowing that it got her interest, he smirked. "Yes. Power. New magic. Isn't that what you always wanted? To be powerful? If you get the spell, you'll be more powerful than Merlin himself. If you get it, you'll be unstoppable."

A mad gleam twinkled in Maleficent's eyes and she grinned. "Well then. You got yourself a deal."

"Good. I expect you to finish the job. Do not fail me."

Maleficent laughed, a nasty one. "I don't fail."

"I heard those words many times. Let us hope that is the case."

Maleficent gave the being a knowing look before she started to turn around. But before she could disappear, a familiar cackling voice came which made the sorceress sigh from annoyance.

"Well, well. Obtain the book and you'll get unlimited power. That is what I got, right?" the voice said as it emerged from the shadow.

Maleficent slightly glanced from the side as she saw the newcomer, already hating her presence.

"I do like that idea…"

Maleficent sighed, irritated. "Cruella…" she drawled.

The shadow, Cruella, turned to the side and saw Maleficent but she smirked upon seeing her.

"Maleficent, huh? How's it going darling?"

"Everything was fine until you showed up," the dark witch growled, walking towards her.

Cruella rolled her eyes. "I see that you're the same grumpy old witch."

"The only reason why I'm grumpy is because you're here…face it dear. No one can stand your presence. I don't even know why you bother to show up."

"Oh, witch dear, I'm so hurt," Cruella placed a hand over her chest, pretending to be hurt.

"If you want to start a cat fight, take it outside. I'm not interested," the booming voice rumbled once more. "Although I do have to say that if that ever happened, Maleficent would win."

Maleficent shot Cruella a nasty smile before she spoke again. "I'm sorry, Cruella but remind me. Why are you here? I don't recall sending you an invitation."

Cruella sneered, her green eyes narrowed dangerously. "Better find a new hobby because yours just expired. _I'm_ the new evil here! I will be your right hand. I'll do the deeds!"

Maleficent shook her head, giving out a sigh. "How can you be the evil if I'm the Mistress of _all_ evil? Sorry, honey. Better find yourself a new master; I already got appointed as the right hand," she smirked.

Cruella widened her eyes from shock and disbelief _._ "You!?" she shrieked. "Why would you appoint _her_ out of all people? I'm the best one! ME!"

"Silence, you fool," the voice thundered. "You'll not judge my decisions. You will not tell _me_ what is best and what is not! _I_ am the Master here! And you, you spineless worm, will _not_ question me again!"

Like that, a sudden burst of power struck at Cruella who barely had the time to avoid them. She shrieked from the unexpected blast and for a minute, it felt like white hot knives pierced her skin but as soon as it started, it vanished, leaving Cruella to breathe heavily.

Maleficent gave a cruel cold sneer. "Haven't you been taught anything? If you wanted someone's position then the best thing to do is…just to get rid of them. But of course…" she flashed her a dark amused smile. "We all know that you don't have what it takes."

As though that was the most insulting thing Maleficent could give, Cruella shrieked from anger.

"NOT STRONG AM I?" Cruella raged.

"Face it, dearie. You just have too much anger…you're blind. You do not have the true power…now if you're done your tantrum, I have work to do," Maleficent spoke before she turned her back on her.

"Blind?" she whispered angrily. Growling, Cruella walked towards Maleficent and unexpectedly, she extended her hand out and just like that, the sorceress gave out a sharp pain of gasp and she struggled to turn around, placing her hand over her chest.

"What…what did you…do to me…?" Maleficent gasped with wide eyes.

There, Cruella was holding a glowing red oval-like shape that was illuminating her green maddening her eyes.

"You said it yourself, dearie… If you wanted someone's position then the best thing to do is…just to get rid of them…let's start that theory, hmm?" Cruella sneered.

Maleficent laughed painfully. "Go on then…" slowly, she straightened herself up as she looked dead on Cruella. "Show them. Show what you can do. Live up to your name, Cruella Devil…After all, you're supposed to be a…psychopath…"

Cruella widened her eyes, tightening her grip which made it harder for Maleficent to breath. Cruella walked towards her until her face was close enough to the sorceress.

"Once I take over, you'll be nothing more than a memory…you'll be of no use. No importance. Any last words before I take your breath away?"

Maleficent grunted, feeling the pain which was in her chest that felt like it wanted to burst.

"Go…to…Hell…" Maleficent gritted through her teeth.

Cruella made a sinister smile. "I am already in _Hell_ …"

And like that, Cruella began to crush the heart, hearing the low painful gasp from Maleficent who crumbled. And then, Maleficent was no more. Smirking, Cruella tilted her hand sideways so that the pieces of the dust fell to the floor. The being in the shadow raised its eyebrows, being intrigued about what just happened.

Cruella, with a wicked smile, turned around and faced the large shadow with a thoughtful look.

"Impressive, I must say…" it rumbled. "But I must ask…where did you get that source of power?"

Cruella smirked. "Let's just say there was another ol' witch who taught me…" a mad twinkle sparkled in her eyes. "Now then…where we were?" Cruella asked and all that was shown were her mad green eyes, gleaming through the darkness…

 **Author's Note:** Once Upon a time reference because why not? I'm saddened that the main characters won't be in there for Season seven. Maybe only Regina and a few others but that's about it… :( but I hope it'll be a good season nonetheless…alright then, so now we got to learn a little more about this new evil and who it would be—that's right, Cruella! One of the most fearsome villains in Disney! And I honestly wish these two would battle each other one day…in a movie or something…and the next chapter will be about Sora visiting a new world! Tadaa! What is the new world? What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	6. The Tower in the Woods

Chapter 5: The Tower in the Woods

All of the group, except for Minnie, boarded the Gummi ship. Sora was about to get inside the ship but he felt a soft hand, placing his shoulders which made him turn around.

Minnie gave him a soft smile, slightly squeezing his shoulder as she spoke.

"Be safe. Don't do anything reckless and...stay strong," she whispered. "You hear me? You have to stay strong even in the darkest of times!" she replied shakily.

Sora saddened a little as he took off her hand and held it in his.

"Don't worry. I promise you...we will be safe...trust me..." Sora squeezed her hand in reassurance before he let go of her hand, climbing into the ship.

"I hope so too..." Minnie sighed as she watched the door closing. She walked away from the ship and the engines ignited.

"Alright, I'm the Captain here!" Sora exclaimed, pushing through Donald like a king.

Donald scowled. "Uh, excuse me, Sora. But I've had the ship longer than you had came so therefore, I'll control the ship!"

"No way," Sora replied. "And besides, you're too short to be the Captain," Sora smiled slyly which made Donald be furious.

"Why you..."

"Hey guys. Buckle up. We're ready to take off," Riku peered out of his seat which only made Sora and Donald groan with disappointment.

"Aww, Riku?! You're the Captain?" Sora asked glumly.

Riku smirked. "Yup and you better do as I say or otherwise I just might accidentally push you off the ship."

Sora gaped, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Some friend you are...do you even know how to fly this ship?"

Riku paused. "Nope. But I'm sure its going to be a cinch," he winked before he turned back, staring at the window in front of him.

"A cinch...yeah right," Sora muttered.

"Hey...if we go to the North, we'll be landing in a world that is already open to us," Kairi announced as she studied the map. "The world is called along the lines of...Kingdom of Sun."

"Alright then. Then that's where we're headed. Buckle up, everyone!" Riku shouted.

The engines roared with more power as it lifted itself off the ground. With a one more burn of fuel, the ship took off while Minnie watched them from the distance.

"Everyone...be safe..."

* * *

Riku grunted as the ship shook once more. Alarms blared throughout the room as everyone tried to be steady.

"What happened?" Sora shouted.

"I don't know. I think one of the engines got busted or something!" Riku exclaimed, trying to steer the wheel.

"There is an Engine room, right?" Sora asked.

"Er...yeah but that's where Chip and Dale operate..." Goofy said. "Its at the lower level-"

"Thanks!" Sora said as he unclasped the seatbelt and broke into a sprint.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed.

"What happened?" Riku yelled out.

"Sora went to the Engine room. I think he's going to try to fix the problem," Kairi answered.

Riku growled. "Damnit, Sora. You just couldn't rest...Everyone...hang on!"

Meanwhile, Sora staggered sideways due to the ship's shake. He knew he shouldn't have let Riku drive the ship but he was stubborn. In some ways, Sora reminded himself of Riku; they're both stubborn.

He swung himself over the rails so that he landed on another set of stairs but he proceeded to jump off again.

"Chip!" Sora exclaimed, stumbling backwards and he slightly rammed his back against the wall.

"Chip, are you here?"

He continued to walk forward in hopes of finding the small chipmunk.

"Dale?"

"Sora!"

Sora gasped upon hearing his name being called out. He stared ahead, gazing at the front until his eyes widened at the small figure that just emerged.

"Chip?!"

Sora ran towards him and he fell to his knees; a look of worry went across his face. He cupped his hands together, scooping Chip.

"Chip? Chip! Talk to me. Are you alright? Where's Dale?"

"I'm right here..." a voice said.

Sora's eyes fell down as he saw another small figure, rising to the surface. He scooped him up and waited for a response.

"One of the engines got busted..." Chip spoke when he was able to. "The circuits got fired and we weren't able to fix it..."

"Don't worry. I'll handle it. Just tell me what I need to do and hopefully...I could fix it..." Sora muttered.

"If you can somehow fix the circuit or make some temporary adjustment, then I'm sure it'll be fine..."

"Okay. You guys can rest in my pocket," Sora said as he placed them inside of his pocket.

However, the turbulence was too much since Sora couldn't keep his balance. He fell to his knees but each time he got up, not ready to give up.

But as he reached near the panel, the ship shook once more; this time, it felt as though the bottom had scraped badly against something that was rough.

"Woah!" Sora exclaimed as the ship was suddenly spun around, having him roll with it. "Agh, no Chip! Dale!"

He tried to reach out for them but failed. Since the ship was spinning, Sora had too lost himself since he he hurt his head hard against a metal box which instantly blacked him out and he knew no more.

Not even the part where the ship had finally made a rough impact against the land, skidding itself until it stopped.

* * *

Voices groaned as eyes flickered opened.

"That's it…no one let Riku fly the ship," Kairi moaned as she pushed herself up.

"Hey…at least we landed. I couldn't be that bad," Riku muttered.

"Whatever," Donald replied grumpily. "Let's just get out of the ship and see where we are…"

As they exited out of the ship, before he reached the ground, Riku slightly glanced behind and he stopped.

"Hey…did Sora ever come out of the Control Room?" Riku asked.

There was an uneasy silence as everyone shifted in their spots, not knowing the answers.

"Uh…to be honest…I don't know," Kairi answered. "All I remember was that Sora said he was going to check on the engines but he didn't come out."

Riku narrowed his eyes and he turned his back on them. "I'm going to look for him."

"Don't bother," Donald said, dismissing it. "If I know anything it's that Sora would always come back. He probably got out just as we did."

"But—"

"We're wasting time. Those pages depends on us. It's what we promise King Mickey and I never break any promises to him," Donald said.

Kairi narrowed her eyes. "You're cold to him. Sora was just trying to help."

"Well…" Goofy awkwardly shifted in his spot. "Sora can be too reckless for his own good and he usually does come back to us if he had gotten lost…"

Riku sighed, lowering his head a little.

"Sora…you stubborn prick," Riku muttered before he lifted his head, giving the ship a one last glance and then exited out of the doo entrance, joining the group. As they walked away farther into the woods, inside the ship, Sora had just begun to wake up with a slight headache.

"Oh man…" Sora moaned, pushing himself up. He placed his hand on his forehead in attempt to ease the pain but it was still there. "What…what happened?"

"We crashed somewhere and the engine had definitely clonked out!"

Sora blinked but he widened his eyes upon hearing the voice. He would recognize it anywhere.

"Chip!" he cried out. "Chip! Where are you?"

"Right here. Along with Dale!"

The boy looked down only to see the two chipmunks who clumsily climbed up, falling down onto a metal box.

"You guys are alright!" he exclaimed as he got onto his knees.

"You bet we are! Now you get going. Don't worry. We'll handle the ship from here, right Dale?!" Chip replied cheerfully as he gave a hard pat to his partner who stumbled forward upon the impact. He gave a small glare to Chip who grinned sheepishly.

Sora smiled. "Alright. I hope you're alright," he then got up. "Right then. I've got to find out where we have landed."

"Good luck and don't get lost!" Chip shouted as Sora exited out of the room.

He went back to the main room, expecting to find his friends staring at a map to see where they have landed. But that wasn't the case. Once he reached the main room, it was empty which made Sora have a small frown.

"Guys!" he called out only to receive a no answer. Frowning, Sora crossed his arms over his chest as he came to the conclusion.

 _Gee…thanks for abandoning me…_

Sighing, Sora turned sideways as he stared at the front entrance that was already open, leaving it a clue to him.

 _They must've gotten out…but I have no idea where they could've gone. Oh well…I'm sure I'll catch up to them._

With that, Sora ran towards the door, exiting out of the ship in attempt to search for his friends. After endless walking, Sora muttered angrily under his breath as he kicked a small pebble. So far, he hadn't saw any signs of his friends and he hoped that they're okay.

 _Why is it that every time we go on adventure, Riku and Kairi end up missing?_ Sora thought as moved away some vines as he left out of the cave he just went through. _Yeah there was Donald and Goofy but those two were my travelling buddies…or at least I thought…did something happened to them and they were forced to flee?_

Sora sighed. _Who knows? Maybe I'm overanalyzing things._ He then looked up only to spot a tall stoned tower with vines wrapping around which indicated that the tower appeared to be old then it seemed.

 _Hmm…what's this? A tower…? Maybe they are in there…_

With hopes up, Sora broke into a sprint until he reached the Tower. Eyes narrowed, Sora studied the area around the Tower and it wasn't until then that he noticed there was a pile of rocks and plants which seemed to be thrown at it. Almost as though it was hiding something.

Eyes narrowed, Sora bent down and removed the rocks and the vines, revealing a hidden trapdoor. Curious, Sora assumed that this trapdoor would lead to the inside of the tower and going with that, he opened the door, hearing a small groan and then he jumped down into the darkness.

It took a while but Sora managed to get at the top floor. Raising an eyebrow, Sora gave a glance at it as he examined the area.

It was small with windows at the right side, letting the sun rays filtered through them, brightening up the place. There was a small kitchen at the opposite side and a staircase to go along with it. Perhaps the most interesting thing that got Sora's attention was that there were drawings upon the ceiling, all covered in pictures like the sun and lanterns—at least Sora assumed those were lanterns.

"Hello?" Sora called out. Sora took a first few steps until all of a sudden, something hard struck at the back of Sora's head and the next thing he knew was that his vision went blurry, spinning around until he blackened out, falling to the floor.

* * *

"Are you sure Sora went through here? I still think we should've went back and checked the ship," Riku said bitterly.

There were currently at a Market place which was crowded. There were small markets that had people buying or looking through the items. Music was heard from the distance as the sun was shining down.

All in all, it was plain busy and Riku was annoyed by it especially from the heat. He gave an irritated look as he got bumped by someone, stumbling forward.

"Ungh! I hate the crowd!" Riku exclaimed. "Why did we went this way again?"

Kairi rolled her eyes from Riku's drama. "Because you were so worried about Sora, Donald thought it might be a good idea to check out since this was where we had gotten through walking. And if I didn't know any better, I would say that you and Sora are secret lovers," she smirked at the flabbergasted Riku.

"Say what?!" he shouted. "No way! I'm just worried! He's too reckless for his own good. You know that. You know that better than anyone or were you too busy staring at him?" Riku smirked at the reddened Kairi. "We know you have a crush on him," he taunted. "And I'm just one step closer to telling him—"

"Okay!" Kairi cried out. "Just stop talking. You've won."

Riku pouted. "You're not very nice in general."

Kairi gave an amused smile as she walked past by him.

"Okay…I think what we should is to ask people," Donald suggested which made Riku roll his eyes.

"Oh yes because they had totally saw a boy with brown spikey hair," Riku muttered.

"Hey! At least I'm _trying_ to do something! You're just being too sarcastic!" Donald shot back, marching up to him.

Riku sneered as he placed his hand on Donald's forehead, making Donald walk forward but it was futile.

"If I remember correctly, you're the one who told us to abandon Sora and now because of you, we don't know where he is," Riku replied, glaring at him before a sly smile escaped his lips. "Short stuff."

Donald growled angrily as he waved his fists in the air. "Why you little—"

"What are you going to do about it? Throw a rock at me?" Riku laughed.

"No but I can kick your butt to the next century if I wanted to!" Donald growled.

"Gwarsh guys. Fighting isn't going to help. It wouldn't hurt to ask the citizens anyway but I guess if you don't want to do that, then maybe it's best if we go up to that castle that's ahead of us," Goofy said as he pointed up.

The group followed Goofy's trail and there up ahead of them was the tall towering castle.

* * *

Sora moaned as he opened his eyes. Alright that's it. He was done being knocked out and if he had to endure it again then so help him. He won't be a friendly person to talk to afterwards.

"What happened?" he muttered as his vision gradually better.

"Who are you? And how did you get here?" a new voice spoke which gained Sora's attention.

Sora craned his neck to the side before he stared at the front, his eyes squinting through the small shadow that had been casted.

"Hello?" Sora called out once more.

"Answer my question!" the demanding voice commanded and from the shadows, a girl emerged with a glaring look.

 **Author's Note:** Tadaa! That's right! First world is…*drumroll* Tangled! I'm going to have fun writing this because Tangled is absolutely adorable and of course, we're gonna see Gothel, Pascal, Flynn and more! And Sora really should stay in a group…What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	7. The Chaser and the Hunter

Chapter 6: The Chaser and the Hunter

"Answer my question!" the person demanded as she raised her weapon threateningly.

Sora widened his eyes as he gaped at her. Her green eyes narrowed dangerously and she looked as though she was ready to pounce if the situation had arisen. She had a tan skin with a tint of blush to it. She wore a dress that had a purple theme followed by pink accent as the bottom skirt was in purple with a lavender corset. The dress itself was decorated with swirling and floral designs in pink, dark purple and white.

"Hey look!" Sora cried out. "I'm not such a bad guy! Hear my story first."

The girl stared at the strange boy with a sense of odd fascination. She was intrigued by this person since she had never saw another being and was curious about him. After studying his blue eyes, the girl let out a breath and softened her expression.

"Something had brought you here. Call it what you will. Faith…destiny…" as she spoke, Sora felt the chair being pulled towards her until he was threateningly close to her. He widened his eyes when he saw the girl's big green eyes staring boldly at his own. Sora gave a sheepish smile as he let out a nervous laugh.

"Uhm…hi…?"

"Did you came here because of my hair?" she asked sternly.

"Your what?"

" _Hair_? You know the thing that grows on your head?"

Sora scowled slightly, giving her a small glare. "I know what hair is," he muttered. It was then where he finally looked down only to realize that he was tiedby something golden. He followed the rope and gaped from disbelief as he found out that it was her _hair_.

Sora gave out a cry after finding out what has been tying him to the chair. " _That's_ your hair?" he exclaimed. "It's so long!"

"It's about seventy feet!" she said proudly.

"Haven't you ever cut it?" Sora asked then he realized that it was probably a stupid question. Like, if this girl had ever cut her hair, then it wouldn't be this long.

"Nope. My mother told me not to ever cut it because if I do, I would lose the special abilities it has—"the girl gasped, quickly covering her mouth with her free hand. "I shouldn't have said that…" she breathed.

Sora merely looked confused. "Wait…what abilities?"

"Nothing. Just forget about it but now," she then stared right in the eye of him which made him cower back slightly. "We need to discuss about _you._ Who are you? Why have you come here? _How_ did you come here?"

Sora sighed as he tilted his head back. He had a feeling that this was going to be a long day and he hoped that his friends would just hurry up and find him. The girl wasn't bad; it was that…she asked a lot of questions.

"My name's Sora. I came here with a group of friends but our ship got wrecked so now…we got scattered and I'm trying to find my friends."

The girl blinked her eyes from surprise. "Ship? You came here with a ship?" she asked.

"Er…yeah…"

"Hmm…" the girl made a thoughtful look as she studied him—the awkward human.

"That's all. I swear!" Sora said as he tried to break free from the hair's grip. "I don't want your hair or anything. I just want to find my friends. I don't see what the big deal about your hair is anyway," Sora then stared at it again. "Other than the fact that it's long…"

The girl sighed. She supposed that this boy seemed genuine. "My mother told me that my hair holds abilities such as to heal. That's all I've ever known and the fact that she told me to never cut it and take good care of it," she replied.

"Oh…so I see…" Sora paused. "So uhm…can you let me go?"

The girl narrowed her eyes, staring at the boy before she straightened herself, bringing the chair back to the floor. She then eyed her small green creature that came out of hiding from her hair and went on her shoulder. The girl gave a huff and Sora felt the hair being loosened.

"Fine."

She then unwrapped the hair which made Sora rub his wrist. There was an awkward silence before Sora spoke.

"So uhm…you live here?"

The girl nodded until she gave a shout of exclaim. "Oh! I've never introduced myself and you seem a good guy. So…my name is Rapunzel," she replied with a smile.

Sora returned the smile. "Hey Rapunzel."

"And sorry for what happened…I guess I got a bit rough since I've never met another being before and it just felt so odd and—" she rambled.

"Wait. You never saw another human? Other than your mother?"

Rapunzel made a thinking look before she answered. "Nope. This tower is the only thing that I had ever saw and lived."

Sora widened his eyes from shock. "You've never actually _went_ out of this tower? Like ever? Why?"

"Well…" Rapunzel got sheepish as she played with her hair with her hands. "My mother said that the outside is dangerous and so are the people, being selfish and cruel and how they wanted to steal and abuse my power."

Sora frowned. "That's not entirely true…well…I guess there is the Heartless but—you met me. I'm not such a bad person, am I?"

"No, I guess you're not," Rapunzel trailed off. "Wait, what's a Heartless?"

Sora winced as he rubbed his neck. "Uhm…never mind."

Rapunzel gave him an odd stare before she tore her gaze away from the boy and stared at the entrance. Seeing the troubled look, Sora asked.

"What?"

"Shh…I thought I heard something. Stay here."

With that, the girl took off while Sora called out.

"Wait, Rapunzel!"

Sora sighed as it was futile since Rapunzel was long gone.

* * *

"Uhm, Goofy…I don't think going into the castle is even allowed. Not like this anyway. I think you have to get some sort of invite or something," Riku replied as they continued down the road that would eventually reach the castle. "Wouldn't it be the same for you guys with King Mickey? Getting an invite with their Majesties or something?"

"Erm gee now that you think about it, I guess yeah…that's true and stuff. I was just focused on the castle itself. It's beautiful, don't you think?" Goofy responded.

"It sure is," Kairi agreed. "You think the King and Queen might help us though? If we ever get an invite or something?"

Donald shrugged. "I don't know but it's a worth a try."

They finally reached the castle and by the time they did, the sun was already setting down, indicating that the day would be almost over soon. As they climbed the stairs, voices were heard.

"Halt in the name of the King! No one trespasses without permission from His Majesty!" a firm voice declared.

"Hey, wait! We meant no harm—"Riku started.

"Silence! You shall have an audience with the King himself. He'll decide what to do with you," the guard said as the rest of the remaining guards pointed their spears at them, surrounding them.

"Nice idea, Donald," Riku muttered.

Just then, another guard's voice shout out in a more distress signal.

"Stop him!"

Something got shoved at the guard (the one who yelled at Riku) and he stumbled forward.

"You!" the first guard spoke but the person kept running.

Riku raised his eyebrow before an idea came to him. As the person was running, the figure stole a glance at Riku who stared at him before the runner tore away his glance.

"Stop him!" the other guard came out.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"That thief stole the most treasured item. He stole the crown!"

The first guard widened his eyes and then turned his attention to the remaining soldiers.

"Forget about them for now. Leave these people with me! Go and get that thief! The crown must be regained back!"

"Yes sir!" they all shouted before chasing after that man.

"Wait," Riku said. "Let's make a deal. We'll help you catch that thief only if you let us go with free of charges," he bargained.

The guard gave the boy a hard glare as Donald muttered.

"Riku..."

"Fine!" the guard spoke which made Riku smile with triumph. "On the King's order, you must retrieve the crown or the deal's off."

Riku smirked. "Consider it done."

"Now off with you!"

The group turned around and began to chase after the thief while Donald called out.

"Your idea is more idiotic than mine."

"Just shut up and catch that thief," Riku shot back. "And maybe he has some information on Sora."

* * *

The man panted as he hid himself deep into the forest. Once he was sure that the coast was clear, he opened his brown bag, revealing the precious item. The crown.

"Haha...alone with you my precious..."

As the man was dazzling himself with the crown, without a warning, something hard tackled him from the side which made him lost his grip on the crown.

"Oof!" the man grunted as he roughly hit the ground. He tried to push the attacker but found himself unable to do so since his hands were currently being tied.

"The crown! Where is it?!" the demanding voice spoke.

"If you hadn't tackled me, I wouldn't have lost it! Now get off me!"

"Riku! Don't be so harsh with him!" came a female's voice.

Riku growled. "Where's Sora?"

"Okay, now you just got me confused."

"He was with you?" Riku tightened his grip on the man's arms.

"Oww...no. Look boy. I don't even know who that guy is."

"You mean you never saw a short boy with brown spiky hair?"

"No. Now how about you release me and we can be friends?"

Riku narrowed his eyes. "Fine."

He let go of the man's hands but what happened next was not what Riku expected. As soon as the man was released, all of a sudden, Riku suddenly felt a hard punch across his jaw, losing his balance.

The man shoved him off as the others cried out from the unexpected move and then he scrambled up, quickly found the crown and ran away with it.

"Riku!" Kairi shouted.

Riku growled, whipping his head in hopes to catch the glimpse of where that guy could've gone but he had already disappeared.

"I'm fine," Riku mumbled as he spat out a trickle of blood.

* * *

The thief grinned, congratulating him on his move. He put back the jeweled item back to his bag, closing it securely.

When he was sure that there was enough distance between him and the boy, he slowed down to a stop though he found himself a cave nearby.

He looked behind once more before he entered through a cave, removing a vines of plants until he came across a view where he spotted a tower.

Eyes narrowed, the thief began to go towards it until he stopped, staring at the large stoned tower. He then trailed his eyes at the stones before he rummaged through his bag, pulling out his pivot and began climbing the tower.

He let out a sigh once he was in and once more, the thief took out the object.

"Alone with you. I am never losing you again."

And then, just like that, the man heard footsteps before his head was suddenly met with a hard blow and then he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

 **Author's Note: **Rapunzel and her pan. Gotta love'em XD sooo Flynn enters in, steals the crown, meets with Riku and friends, only to get knocked out. Fantastic. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	8. The Adventure is Out There

**Shout Outs:** Thanks to Amarie3713 for favoring and following the story.

* * *

Chapter 7: The Adventure is Out There

The man groaned as he flickered his eyes open. He thought he heard voices but he couldn't be too sure since everything was still a bit hazy to him.

"Just relax, Punz," a male's voice said. "What if he has another reason and it's not the purpose you think it is?"

"Well…you can never be too sure. I mean, I haven't visited the outside at all. So who knows what kind of people are there—you're an exception. _But_ do anything funny and I'll knock you out," the female said threateningly.

The boy gave a nervous laugh. "Hey, wait! I think he's waking up!"

"Ungh…please…not so loud," the intruder moaned.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" the girl automatically bombarded the guy with questions as she raised her weapon threateningly, ready to strike if she needed to.

The guy scowled, giving a small scoff. "Why should I tell you things where you had knocked me out with…a frying pan. I mean, come on. What kind of a weapon is that?

"It works though, doesn't it?" she grinned slyly.

The other boy sighed. "You know, I agree with this man but ease up Punz. Hear out his story like how you did with mine."

"I swear on my life," the guy bargained. "I'll tell you things and maybe in some way, we can help each other out erm…Punz, is it?"

"It's Rapunzel but if I find out that you're lying…"

The guy sighed. "Everything will be truthful and honest…I promise," he then flashed her a smile before he eyed over the girl's shoulder. "Who's the short stuff?"

"Hey!" the boy exclaimed. "It's Sora if you must know and I'm not short."

The guy gave him a disbelieving look. "Right. And who's the green dude?"

The green creature turned red, indicating its anger.

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes. "This green one is my friend, Pascal."

"Uh huh. Anyways, the name's Flynn Ryder. Handsome dude, attractive, you get the picture. And for starters, I need you to release me and get me my bag back…"

Rapunzel gave him a smirk. "Ha. While you got knocked out, I hid it," she said proudly.

Flynn sighed and it didn't even took a second for him to find his bag. "It's under that trap hole isn't it?"

Rapunzel gaped before she muttered. "Maybe…" she marched towards his sack, taking it out from its proper spot. However, because it was slightly open, something shiny caught her attention. Curious, she took out only to find out that it was an object that was decorated with gold band and red beads across the white pearl jewels. Along with the jewels, pearly white gems were decorated at the side and the tiara itself gave out a dull gleam. Rapunzel frowned.

"What's this?" she muttered. The green creature gave signs which indicated for Rapunzel to try it out.

Flynn stared at her suspiciously before he realized what she was holding on to.

"Wait…put that back…"

Rapunzel didn't listen of course as she was too entrance by the item and she tried it on her wrist which didn't suited her at all and she began to look through the object like a mirror.

"It's a tiara," Sora spoke at last, slightly being amused at the scene and he walked towards her. "It's supposed to go on your head."

He then took the tiara from her hand and placed it on her head. For a brief moment, Sora suddenly felt a change of personality from her but he shrugged it off. It must be nothing, right? He must be imagining things…

"Uh right…it doesn't suit me," Rapunzel replied a bit edgy. She gave an unsure look at the 'tiara' before she placed it back in the satchel. She then walked towards Flynn who eyed her as she grabbed hold of the satchel. Sora joined her a second later but he was still amused that Flynn still didn't notice to what he was tied to.

"You know, by now, I thought you would be freaking out when you found out what you had been tied to," Sora pointed it out.

Flynn scoffed. "Now why would I freak out—"he trailed off only to widen his eyes. He followed the blonde trail and gaped when he found out where it was leading to. "Your—"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's my hair. Get over it."

Flynn cleared his throat as he still eyed the hair uneasily. "Right…now uhm…my bag. I need my bag."

"No," Rapunzel said. "Look, I'll make a deal with you. I'll give you back your bag only if you take me out to the real world."

Flynn blinked as he stared at her. "Wait, what? Have you never been outside of this tower?" he widened his eyes with disbelief as he came to the conclusion.

"No, I haven't. So, I want you and Sora to take me out to the real world."

Sora made a thoughtful look before an image flashed back into his mind. He remembered, the first time he got here, he recalled that there were some drawings up on the ceilings.

"Is it because of the drawings?" Sora asked.

Flynn merely gave a blank look of confusion. Rapunzel nodded her head and she began to climb the ledge and then she pulled out a curtain to reveal more drawings. This one had a painting of what it looked like lanterns that were floating in the night sky, illuminating it and on top of the cliff was a girl watching them as they floated away.

"Do you know what they are?" Rapunzel asked.

"They're lanterns," Sora asked.

"Lanterns what they do for the princess every year," Flynn further elaborated.

"Lanterns…" Rapunzel murmured before she got excited. "I knew they weren't stars! Listen, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky, with these lanterns. You will act as my guide, Take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal," Rapunzel negotiated.

Sora nodded. "Sure, I could help you with."

"Sorry, no can do," Flynn refused which made Rapunzel drop her hope though Sora gave him a glare.

"And why not?" Sora questioned.

Flynn sighed. "Unfortunately, the kingdom and I are not exactly friends at the moment. So I won't be taking you anywhere."

"Fine then. I will do it," Sora offered before he paused. "But then you wouldn't have your bag back. If this satchel really means this much to you, then you would do it, wouldn't you?"

"Honestly, Spike. You're annoying and should learn to keep your nose out of other's people business. Just sayin."

Sora growled. "It's _Sora_. And no—"he stopped in mid-sentence as he suddenly realized that this could be his ticket out of here and maybe he would be able to find his friends.

However, Rapunzel was just as determined as Sora. She was going to take Flynn out as well.

"Something brought you here…Flynn Ryder," Rapunzel spoke as she narrowed her eyes. "Call it what you will…Fate…destiny…" she said as she pulled the chair closer to her with her hair.

"A horse."

"So I have made the decision to trust you."

"A horrible decision, really."

"But trust me, when I tell you this. You can tear this tower apart, brick by brick. But without my help, you will never be able to get back your precious satchel."

Sora chuckled. "So I'd better do what she says."

Flynn shot him a look before he looked at Rapunzel. "So let me get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns. Bring you back home and you'll give me back my satchel?"

Rapunzel nodded. "I promise. And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise. EVER!" she told him firmly as her face was closer to his.

Flynn still stared at Rapunzel with a skeptic look but the green chameleon gave a stern nod to know that was the truth. Flynn sighed, having a thinking look as he wondered how he ever got in these kind of situations. And this all happened because he wanted to be alone with his precious item.

Damn that tiara.

Flynn heaved out another sigh. "Alright. Alright. I'll take you to see those lanterns."

Rapunzel gasped, excited. "Really?!"

"Yes…"

Excited, Rapunzel turned around to face Sora who smiled lightly.

"I'll come too."

"This is exciting!" she squealed.

"Great. Now…how about you release me from your…hair?"

Rapunzel blinked. "Oh, right. Right."

* * *

Riku muttered angrily under his breath. He was still sore about that punch from that guy and he rubbed his jaw. It was bruised that's for sure and people were wondering why he was so uptight about trusting people.

"Which way did he went?" Kairi asked.

"No idea," Donald answered as Goofy stared ahead of the forest.

"Hmm…you know, he might went deeper into the forest. The thicker it gets, the woods is bound to have something in the middle of it," Goofy pointed it out. "I think it's better if we continue to follow the woods."

Kairi nodded. "Let's go guys."

"Yeah and when we find Sora, I'm going to give a piece of my mind. That boy has no sense of direction," Riku muttered.

* * *

"You coming, blondie?" Flynn called out as he climbed down.

Rapunzel held tightly onto her hair as she peered down. It was a rather long way down…the two boys seemed to be making out alright since they already reached the ground.

Rapunzel squeezed her eyes shut tight, biting her lip from being nervous while Pascal gave a nod of encouragement.

"Come on. You can do it," Sora shouted from below. "It's not that scary as it seems."

Rapunzel hesitated as she closed her eyes, releasing a breath before she reopened them and gave a firm nod of determination.

"Right. Here I go."

And then, just like that, Rapunzel swung down from her spot, sliding down but she couldn't help but to laugh of joy as she felt the breeze whipping at her face. All of a sudden, she paused right from an inch above the ground, suddenly being hesitated. The ground did seemed rather inviting and welcoming but she couldn't be too sure about it. After all, she had never stepped out of from the tower and seeing this…the outside world, everything was so new to her.

"Hey, it's alright," Sora said, nodding. "Trust me. The ground doesn't bite."

Staring at his eyes, Rapunzel felt warmth before she trusted his words and slowly lowered her feet and she felt the strange sensation tickling her feet. She looked down at the green lush before her eyes sparkled with delight and she laughed, squealing with excitement.

"THIS IS AMAZING!" Rapunzel exclaimed as she ran down. "I can't BELIEVE I've actually done this!" she gasped at the sudden realization that her mother would probably be furious. "Oh nooo…" she moaned. "Mother will be so furious. That's okay, what she doesn't know won't kill her, right?" she said nervously.

Sora gave a blank look as he stared at Flynn who gave a shrug. And the two of them found themselves leaning casually against a tree as Rapunzel was having one of her 'moments'.

"Oh my gosh, this will kill her," Rapunzel said panicking. "THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!" she screamed a second later.

"You think she'll finish?" Sora asked as Flynn shrugged.

"No idea…"

Sora sighed before he realized that Rapunzel was suddenly gone. Being on alert, he got off from the tree and scanned the area.

"Hey, where did Rapunzel go?"

Flynn narrowed his eyes and sighed. "Great. We haven't even started our journey and we already lost Blondie…"

"Hold on. She's over there," Sora pointed to the blonde who was on the ground, hugging her knees. He then nudged Flynn to motion for him to go to her. Staring at her, Flynn heaved out a sigh and walked towards her but when he did, he was surprised to hear a sniff from her.

"Uhm…everything alright?" he asked awkwardly.

"I don't know. I just feel like I'll be disappointing Mother," Rapunzel sniffed.

"Let me ease your conscious. This is part of growing up. The whole day, bits and pieces. Sort of protective mother, forbidden road trip. This is all natural so it's okay to let loose once in a while. You're still young; better start living your life. There's more than just living at the Tower, trust me. A little rebellion, a little adventure. That's good, healthy even."

Rapunzel lifted her head slightly. "Really?"

"Of course! I do this all the time but…but…I know. You're way over thinking your stress meter. Did your mother deserve it? Will this break her heart and crush her soul? Well of course. But you just got to do it."

"Flynn, I think you're being a bad influence on her," Sora said as he joined them.

"Hey!"

"Break her…soul…?" Rapunzel whispered, terrified. Terrified at the thought that her mother won't forgive her. Or trust her again.

"It can," Flynn nodded.

"Crush her soul?" Rapunzel squeaked, being more petrified.

"She would be heart broken, you're right. Likely, all right, oh no. All right, I can't believe I'm saying this, but... I'm letting you out of the deal."

"Well..."

"That's right. But don't make me. Let's just turn around, and you go home, and your frog. I get back my satchel. You get back a mother daughter relationship based on mutual trust and viola! We part ways as unlikely friends."

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes. "No," she said firmly and she stood up, much to Flynn's disbelief. "I'm going to see those lanterns."

Sora has to admit. She's got determination. In a way, she sort of reminds him of himself from time to time. Always determined to get the job done. But on the other hand, Flynn groaned from exasperation.

"Oh, come on!"

"What is it going to take to get my satchel back?"

"Until you take her to see those lanterns, it seems," Sora grinned though Flynn gave an unamused expression.

"No one asked you, short stuff."

"When _will_ you stop calling me that?"

Flynn gave a cheeky smile. "Never."

All of a sudden, noises came which made Rapunzel jump with fear while Sora took his fighting stance as he hid his hand behind his back, hoping he would be able to summon his Keyblade if needed. The two boys were on guard, staring at the bush as Rapunzel took a step back. And then, out of the bush came out. Sora didn't expected this at all but he relaxed himself as he grinned, letting out a laugh.

"Relax guys. It's just a bunny," he grinned.

After the fear died down, the trio began walking with Rapunzel being a bit ahead of them which left the two guys behind. However, as they were trekking down the hill, Sora couldn't help but to ask Flynn.

"Hey uhm…listen…on your way…did you ever catch a glance of my friends?" Sora asked.

Flynn stopped as he stared at the boy. "You didn't come here to aid Rapunzel, did you?"

Sora bit his lip as he looked down. "No…"

Flynn stared at him as he crossed his arms over his chest. "How do your friends look like?"

"Well one of them as auburn hair—the girl. The other is a guy with blue hair and the other two were er…a duck and a dog?" Sora said awkwardly. "This is awkward."

Flynn smirked but he paused, taking in the information. Now that Sora _had_ mentioned them, he did recalling bumping into a blue-haired kid.

"You know, I think I did bumped into one of them. Especially that blue-haired kid. He gave me such a hard time," he muttered.

Sora's eyes widened with delight. "Riku! So they are here somewhere! Where did you saw them the last time?"

"It was actually just down this path but then I lost them after getting into a fight with the blue-haired kid. Kept asking me about _you_ even though I had no idea who you were at that time."

"So…they still must be here! And if I'm right, we may bump into them!" Sora said excitedly. "Well come on. I lost them once. I don't want to lose them again!"

With that, Sora picked up his pace so that it broke into a run, easily catching up with Rapunzel, leaving Flynn to his thoughts.

 _You got heart kid._

 **Author's Note: **Whoo this was fun to write. Now, I of course don't own the dialogue that was from the original movie but everything else is mine just to clear that out first. And Sora is growing on everyone XD he's just adorable! *affectionate eyes* *ahem* anyways. Right. And yes, we'll get to see Maximus…soon…sometime…What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	9. Mysterious Figures

**Shout Outs:** Thanks to flo463 for favoring and following the story. Thanks to stardust902 for following the story.

* * *

Chapter 7: Mysterious Figures

The Castle of Corona was ruled by two loving King and Queen. Both of them were adored and loved by the citizens alike. Every year, on a special day, the two of them would release the illuminating lanterns that would float across the night sky, filling the sky up as though they were like stars. They lived a happy life but that was until when a wicked cloaked figure broke into the palace, stealing the one thing they both loved.

Their daughter.

Grief overtook both of the parents and desperation came. And now, every year on Rapunzel's birthday, they would light up the lanterns in hopes that their daughter would one day come home.

But now, the once lively kingdom was now slumber to sadness. But even though the kingdom had fallen into despair, the city continued to hang onto hope that one day, their princess would come.

King Frederic, tall and slender, with brown hair and a beard slouched down against a chair. His depression was catching up with him and he didn't know how much longer he could on.

How much longer he could hold on to hope?

"Do you think we'll ever find our daughter?" the King asked, saddened.

"We will. We have to hang on to hope. It's our only way of ever truly finding our daughter," Queen Arianna said.

Queen Arianna was strong and beautiful, having a resemblance much like her daughter with bright green eyes, similar facial features like with fair skin and brown hair. In a way, she wore a similar dress like Rapunzel with a purple theme both dark and light and gold around the waist with patterns on the corset. She also had long sleeves that were slightly puffed up.

"I know…but…sometimes it's just seems so hard to believe that she's really gone. I don't want to think about it; I really don't but…"

Queen Arianna gave him a small smile as she placed a hand on his cheek to give him comfort before she whispered.

"It's time."

King Frederic glanced at his wife's green eyes, understanding what she meant. The King got up but he didn't even took a step when he suddenly felt that something was very wrong. As though the atmosphere had abruptly changed and it didn't feel like it belonged here.

King Frederic narrowed his eyes, scanning around the area before he grabbed his wife's hand, pulling her so that she was behind him.

"Frederic?"

"Something's not right here…"

"And right you are…"

Before them, in a puff of smoke, a figure appeared in it. Once the smoke was cleared, the King and Queen were able to fully see her. If the King knew one thing, it was that this figure didn't gave off friendly vibes. It was evil and wicked and he didn't like it.

The person had white and black hair with thick eyebrows, pale skin, red full lips, and slender. She also had green eyes with green eyelids.

She had a white fur coat followed by black and red dress. The way she stared them...it was unnerving to the King.

"Hmmm...let me see now...a King Frederic right?"

"What do you want? Who you are?" the King demanded. "Or so help me, I'll..."

"What? Throw out your guards? Sorry dearie but they have been already...dealt with," she grinned cruelly.

The King growled dangerously. "I'm warning you. Back off!"

"Tsk...here I was thinking I could negotiate with you but I guess that's not happening..." she sighed. "Oh well. I really hoped that I was able to help you find your daughter but I get the hint..."

A glint was shown in the King's eyes as he watched the woman walking away.

"Wait," the king said.

There was a terrible gleam in her eyes as she stopped walking. She slightly turned her head to the side.

"Yes?"

"You...you can help us find our daughter?" he asked desperately, not even caring how she knew about their missing daughter.

The woman slowly turned around and gave a knowing look. "Why of course, I can. I'm here to help. It's what I do. The terns are simple really. I'll give you everything you need to find your child...even magic."

"Honey, maybe we should think through this. You don't like magic," the Queen spoke.

"I know but if it's the only way to get her back then so be it."

Unknown to them, the woman's glint grew even madder but it disappeared when the King turned to face her.

"Fine. We accept but no harm is to come to her. You understand?"

"Why of course, dearie."

"And you also said you had other terms?"

"Ah, yes! I'll help you if you capture this boy," Cruella waved her arms around so that a cloud of dark red smoke appeared in a ball. There it only showed a boy with brown hair, walking down a hill.

The King frowned. "What's so threatening about this boy? He's just a kid."

"A troublesome kid," she growled and her magic disappeared. "But I understand if you don't want to help me...I'll just be on my way and get help from somewhere else..." she sighed sadly. "Too bad...he stole one of the most important things from me..."

She started to walk away but the King stopped her while hating himself for being so weak.

"Wait," he growled quietly. "You have a deal. I'll capture this boy. I'll let my guards do it. As long as-"

The woman rolled her eyes. "I know. I know. Don't let any harm come to your precious daughter. Well then...do we have a deal?" she asked, extending her hand out, waiting for the King to accept it.

"Frederic..." the Queen spoke.

"What choice do we have?" he muttered before he extended his and accept the woman's hand. "It's a deal. But if I found out you had been lying..."

"Everything I had said is true and honest. Cross my heart."

The King gave a narrowed look before he spoke.

"You never told me your name."

The woman grinned, a Cheshire one before she turned around, walking back to the spot to where she had appeared. Before she disappeared, she gave a glance at the King.

"Cruella Devil."

With that, she vanished in a puff of red smoke.

* * *

Sora kicked a pebble as he walked from behind, being lost in thought. Flynn said he _had_ saw his friends-Riku, mostly by the way of how he described him.

But Flynn didn't mentioned where.

Sora sighed. He really hoped he would find their friends soon.

"Hey Spike."

Sora scowled. How he hated that name.

"What?" Sora snapped irritably.

"You hungry? Cause I know a great place to grab a bite."

Sora felt his stomach growl from hunger. When was the last time he ate? He gave Flynn a sheepish look, nodding.

"Great," Flynn grinned. "It's just up ahead."

They reached the small cottage and then Flynn opened the door, announcing the place.

"I present you The Snuggly Duckling!" Flynn announced.

Sora studied the Diner. It looked a bit crowded but the minute Rapunzel and Sora entered in, they instantly got a bad vibe; a sort of uncomfortable one.

"You get the idea that something is going to go wrong?" Sora asked Rapunzel.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

"Now, you two find a table. I'll go talk to the host. They know me," Flynn said.

"Uh...shouldn't we stick together?" Rapunzel asked nervously.

"It's fine—off," Flynn accidentally bumped into something and that being turned around. As the person turned, he stared down at Flynn.

But after staring at him, he wore a nasty grin.

"Well. Look who it is," he boomed, instantly making the place go silent.

"Flynn Ryder," another person spoke. "Word has it that you're almost famous as me."

"What does he mean by that?" Sora muttered.

"Nothing..."

The man looked to the side, making another large grin.

"Look! He brought company! And a girl is with them!"

The crowd laughed, a nasty one which made Sora took a stance until he got picked up, being pulled forward and felt two strong grips grabbing his own, trapping him.

"Hey! Lemme go!"

"No way, short stuff. Take it a look at this way: you're going to enjoy what's coming next."

* * *

The group had been endlessly walking for hours. And so far, they didn't found anything.

"Guys," Riku announced. "I think its safe to say that we should head back. We won't find anything in here and even if we did, Sora must've left wherever he was a long time ago. So I still we should head back to the market place."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Kairi said.

"Alright," Donald nodded.

And the group turned around, retracing their steps. As they further back, Kairi took a glance at the side only to raise an eyebrow before she pulled Riku away.

"What?"

"Isn't that one of the guard's horse?"

Riku narrowed his eyes as he stared through the thick bushes. There, he managed to make out a white horse, trotting along.

"It is. But what's it doing without a rider?"

"I don't know but let's get going..."

Kairi left Riku and as Riku started to walk, something bumped into him, causing him fall down.

However, the hooded shadow seemed to have no time into apologizing since it automatically rushed away.

"Ungh...honestly..." Riku muttered but he turned around. With a questioning look, he got up before he chased down the figure.

"Hey, wait!"

He continued to chase after the figure but when he came to another set of bushes and trees, he swatted them away only to find out that the person was gone

"Ohh...damn it."

"Riku! Riku!"

Upon hearing voices, slightly far away, the figure snuck away but that only made Riku stare at the thick woods ahead.

"Riku, there you are!"

"Gwarsh...we thought we lost you."

"You're as bad as Sora."

Kairi stared at Riku and there, she knew something was wrong.

"What happened?"

Riku stared at the woods before he spoke. "Nothing. I thought I saw something but it must've been my imagination."

Donald rolled his eyes, being impatient. "Well, if you're done daydreaming, can we get going?"

"Hey, I wasn't daydreaming," he shot

"Whatever."

* * *

The hooded figure let out a sigh. That was close. She didn't had time to stop and chat. She needed to get home.

"Rapunzel," she called out. "Let down your hair."

She waited for a few minutes before she tried again.

"Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"

After waiting once more, she widened her eyes as she realized that something must be wrong. Rapunzel usually didn't took this long to put her hair down.

Eyes widening, she quickly scurried forward only to see that her hiding spot was opened.

Something was definitely up.

Panicked, she went through the trapdoor and inside the tower.

"Rapunzel!? Rapunzel!"

Growingly, she headed towards the Mirror cabinet and pulled out the dagger.

"Being a protective mother is hard work, isn't it?"

Eyes narrowed, Mother Gothel turned around, searching through the darkness, hiding the dagger behind her back.

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

Out of the shadows, two frightening green eyes were seen but that didn't faze Gothel.

"I am but a friend who wants nothing more than to bring your precious flower home."

Gothel narrowed her eyes. "Why should I trust you?"

The figure made a nasty grin. "Because...I know how to get her back. I know who took her. You only kept her here for your selfish reasons."

Gothel stared at the shadow with a skeptic look.

"What's the catch?"

The figure grinned malevolently. "That's the thing, dearie. There's no catch at all."

Gothel stared firmly at the shadow. "I don't believe you."

The person merely shrugged. "Well, it's all up to you really. Everything is based on _your_ decision. Tick tock, Gothel. Time's wasting and who knows where Rapunzel could be. Is she safe? Is she unharmed? Well," she gave a small laugh. "That all depends on what you and you alone. Oh and that dagger won't work on me."

Gothel narrowed her eyes as she straightened her head up. "It doesn't hurt to try, now does it?" she sneered. "You said you know who took her. That also means you know where she is as of now."

"That I do."

Gothel let out a heavy sigh. Her hard stare never leaving the shadow. "Fine. I'll accept your help but only for the good for Rapunzel."

The shadow made a sly smile as she walked away. "You mean…only for the good for you, hmm…? We'll be in touch."

With that, the silhouette disappeared which left Gothel alone.

 **Author's Note: **Ooohhh…Gothel and Cruella working together? Oh my. Things are really in hot water for the group. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	10. Flower, Gleam and Glow

**Shout Outs:** Thanks to Draco PSI for following the story.

* * *

Chapter 8: Flower, Gleam and Glow

Sora struggled against the strong grip of the large man that was holding him. In front of Sora, there was another man who started to go forward at Sora who leaned back, preparing for the impact as he closed his eyes.

"Put. Him. Down! Now!" a demanding voice shouted.

Sora opened one of his eyes to see Rapunzel who stood on a chair, glaring at the men. Flynn gulped as he tried to go away from the man who had his hook pointing dangerously at Flynn's neck.

"I'd better do as she says…" Flynn wheezed.

"Shut it, thief," the man grunted.

Flynn scowled though Sora curiously listened to the small conversation. Thief? Was Flynn Ryder a thief?

Why did he purposely left it out?

Sora shook his head. No...that can't be right.

"And its rude to ignore a lady's request," Sora grinned slyly.

Growling, the man holding Sora roughly let him go so that he stumbled forward while Flynn was also released.

"But that still doesn't answer our question," the man with the hook said. "Why are you here?"

"Because I want to see the floating lanterns!" Rapunzel proclaimed. "And these two are my guides!"

"Ha, Ryder? A guide?" the one who held Sora laughed. "That's real hilarious."

"Haha," Flynn muttered.

"No but seriously. Haven't you all had a dream before?" Rapunzel asked.

The room went quiet and that answered Rapunzel who widened her eyes slightly as she looked down, biting her lip.

* * *

Gothel growled as she narrowed her eyes. That Flynn Ryder is going pay for everything!

As she reached at the end of her trail, she discovered a small Diner reading as The Snuggly Duckling.

Having a thought, she was about to go to it until she heard branches snapped in half. Giving out a small gasp, Gothel retrieved back in the shadows to blend in.

She then went to the other way, still in hiding. She peered out of her hiding spot only to see two large figures. At first, Gothel couldn't recognize them but when the first person turned around, she gave a sly smile.

The Stabbington Brothers.

But what were they doing out here?

She leaned in closer to listen.

"I'm going to find that prick and he'll be sorry he ever crossed us!" the first person spoke.

"Yeah. That Ryder is going to pay."

 _Interesting..._ she thought as an idea came to her.

She decided to make herself known by making some noises and the brothers turned around.

"Who's there?"

They then looked up to see a woman with black hair and a red cloak that was covering her.

"I am but a friend. Make it any worse and I'll be your enemy."

The second brother growled. "And just who do you think you are, making threats and everything?"

Gothel stood her ground, grinning.

"I have an offer where you can't refuse."

* * *

Rapunzel stared at the men with disbelief.

"You mean, _none_ of you had a dream?"

"I did had a dream once more..." the man who had a hook announced.

All eyes were on him.

"I dreamed that I had a brand new big hook." he said and Rapunzel began to listen intently.

After listening to the dreams, Rapunzel got more excited.

"So why don't you all go chase them?"

Away from the crowd, Sora joined Flynn who was casually leaning against the wall that has a window beside it.

"I've got to admit. Punz does have guts," Sora stated, earning a nod from Flynn.

"That's for sure..."

"What about you guys?" another thug asked.

"Oh no no…I don't sing," Flynn shook his head but he was met with blades from different direction; all of them were pointing at him.

Sora widened his eyes as he shifted in his spot. "Uhm…I had a dream," he started.  
"I had a dream once where I wished to travel out beyond and I guess it kind of happened. I eventually found my friends, made some new ones and now we're travelling again."

Flynn laughed sheepishly. "Uhm…I dreamed of being somewhere warm and sunny. On an island that I own, tanned and rested and alone. Surrounded by enormous piles of money," he told them but he looked out the window only to widen his eyes. There, were the Kingdom's guards heading this way.

 _Ah, crap._

"Sorry, folks. We gotta go," Flynn responded as he dragged Sora, pushing him to the front but he was stopped by a large thug.

The thug loomed down on him before he stepped aside as Rapunzel joined Flynn and Sora.

"Go. Go and chase your dream," the man said.

"I will," Flynn said though the man scowled.

"No. Not you. Your dream stinks. I was talking to her. Come, there's a passage that would lead you to the other side."

"Open up! By the order of the King himself, open up!"

"Go!"

The trio scurried forward, following the man who led them to the trapdoor. The thug opened the door and ushered them inside.

"Quickly!"

As Flynn and Sora went in, Rapunzel stopped.

"Thank you for everything. I hope that you will chase your dream."

The thug smiled a bit. "Thank you. Now go."

Nodding, Rapunzel went in and then the door was closed just as the main door of the Diner was burst opened, showing the guards.

* * *

"So…I didn't know you had that back in there," Flynn replied as they walked through a semi dark tunnel that was lit by a torch he was carrying.

"I know!" Rapunzel said excited. "I just to let it out," she said before she stopped. "Uhm…so Flynn…where are you from?"

"Woah, woah! Sorry, Blondie. I don't do that story however, I am interested in yours," Flynn said. "Now I...I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair."

"Nope," Rapunzel sad.

"Or, the Mother,"

"Nu uh."

"Frankly I'm too scared to ask about the frog."

"The Chameleon."

"Here's my question, if you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?"

Rapunzel sighed. "I told you before—"

Before she could continue, all of a sudden, the tunnel started to shake which made them stop for a moment.

"Uhm, what was that?" Sora asked.

Just then, voices were heard and the trio turned around to see that the guards were running after them. All of them widened their eyes and they began to run.

"Gogogogo!" Flynn ushered them as he helped pick Rapunzel's hair, giving it to her.

They then ran forward, exiting the tunnel but Sora nearly tripped when he reached at the edge of the cliff. Small rocks tumbled down as Sora stared down.

"Uh guys. We're kind of stuck here…" Sora said.

"Who's that?" Rapunzel asked, eyeing the group that headed to them.

"They don't like me either," Flynn replied as Sora looked to the other side.

"So, who are those two?" Sora asked, motioning to the two thugs who came out from a different exit.

"They don't like me either!" Flynn exclaimed as a white horse came with the guards.

"Who's that?!" Rapunzel questioned.

"Let's just assume for the moment, that everyone here doesn't like me."

Scowling, Rapunzel looked around before she noticed that there was a latch where she could swing across.

"Here!" she handed Flynn the pan before she took an aim at the latch. When a part of her hair was tied on securely, she then ran towards the cliff and took a leap, swinging to the next part.

"I've waited a long time for this," the main guard growled as he took out his weapon. The rest of the soldiers closed in as Sora backed away a bit.

"Uhm…know how to fight?" Flynn asked.

"Er…sure…"

"Great. Let's go!"

With that, Flynn went head to head with the Captain, leaving Sora with the others.

"Uhm, hey guys?" Sora said, sheepishly.

"Get him!"

Eyes wide, Sora side stepped so that the guard stumbled forward. Sora then ducked down to avoid a punch that was aimed at him though Sora ran towards him, sliding on the ground so that he could perform a side sweep before he quickly got up, delivering a kick to the other guard who was behind. Since Sora was in such a small space, he was a bit in a tight spot. At one point, Sora misjudged his footing and his foot slipped off the edge, causing him fall down.

"Sora!" Rapunzel exclaimed as she prepared to grab him with her hair. But before she could even do it, something caught Sora by his arm which made him gasp. When he looked up, he was surprised to see who it was after he heard the voice.

"You're more trouble than you're worth, you know that?" a snarky voice remarked.

Sora looked up only to see a familiar face, smirking at him.

"Riku!"

"Nice to see you hanging. Okay, terrible joke, I know," Riku pulled him up to safety. However, as though he sensed it, Riku narrowed his eyes before he turned around, performing a round kick at the guard so that he was unconscious.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Riku replied. "Who's that?"

"Uhm…Flynn Ryder…"

Ryder then managed to unhand the guard before he smacked the solider across the face with the pan, rendering him unconscious.

"Oh mama! I've got to get me one of these!"

Just then, something pointed at Flynn which made Flynn be on guard. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed that it was the white horse who appeared to be fighting back, holding the blade's handle in his mouth.

"Apparently, a horse can fight too?" Riku asked with a blank look.

Ryder and the horse went on head to head until the horse knocked out the pan from Flynn's hand which made him be unprotected.

"Flynn!" Rapunzel shouted before she swung her hair, tying it at his hand so that he got pulled away. Sora looked around until he noticed a wall support. However, he looked up, noticing that it was blocking a hole which could mean that water would be spilled out and he ran towards it.

"Sora!" Riku exclaimed but the guards woke up though they didn't hesitated to start attacking him. Eyes narrowed, Riku ran forward so that he climbed on one of the guards before he went up in the air, dodging them. Riku then landed on the ground before he looked up to where Sora was only to widen his eyes.

"Wait, Sora! Don't do that!"

But, Sora resumed kicking it so that he could make a bridge and to wash out the guards.

After the final kick, the ledge fell down and Sora motioned him.

"Come on!"

Sora went towards it, going across as well as the others. Water started to pour out from its spot while the horse was walking on the bridge after having an idea from Sora. However, it didn't took long before the whole wall broke out due to the water massive strength from the water.

It washed out the other guards and it wouldn't be too soon that the water would catch up to them.

Sora stumbled to a halt as he realized that there would be only a few seconds before they would get caught in the. He then looked to his right and noticed a water-like slide.

"Hey, anyone know how to surf?" Sora asked before he headed towards the slide.

He then jumped on which earned stares from his friends.

"He's an idiot," Riku sighed before he jumped too followed by everyone else. Through halfway, Sora grabbed onto the ledge and he jumped on it but the ledge crumbled down, no longer being stable which made it harder for Sora.

Sora then jumped before he performed a somersault as he began to reach the ground.

Due to the water, the wall that was holding the Dam broke out and a huge turret of water broke out, completely washing everything in its.

"Guys, head to the cave!" Rapunzel exclaimed.

A towering rock-like platform began to collapse from the immense power from the water. Riku turned around and stared up.

"Heads up! We got a rocky situation here!" he cried out.

"Now's not the time for jokes, Riku!" Kairi yelled and then just in time, the group made it to the cave just as the rock collapsed, trapping them inside.

"We made it!" Donald exclaimed.

"Uh oh, I think you might've spoken too soon," Goofy spoke.

The water began to pour into the cave.

"With this much water, we're going to drown with it!" Sora exclaimed.

Flynn looked around before he dived down in the water as Sora shouted out his name. Rapunzel climbed up a bit and she took her frying pan in attempt to knock some rocks off but it was futile. Sora looked around and began to climb up the rocks only to have his hand get scratch from it, having a cut. Flynn showed up but he shook his head though Rapunzel dived down only to come up again. She was about to go again but Flynn stopped her.

"Hey! Stop! It's pitch black down there!" Flynn exclaimed and silence fell.

"It's all my fault," Rapunzel spoke after the silence. "She was right, I never should have done this. I'm so... I'm so sorry, Flynn."

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "Why are you sorry about this?"

Flynn sighed as he shook his head. "Not now," he muttered as he bit his lip, eyeing Rapunzel. He might as well tell. "Eugene…"

"What…?" Rapunzel stammered, wiping away her tears.

"My real name is Eugen Fitzherbert. So you might as well know."

Rapunzel gave a small laugh. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing."

The others stared at her with eyes wide.

"What?" Sora and Flynn asked, dumbfounded.

"I have magic hair that glows when I sing," Rapunzel trailed off as a sudden idea came to her. "Glow! I have an idea!" she replied happily and then the water began to rise more rapidly.

"Well do it now. Because we're all going to die here!" Sora said.

"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine," Rapunzel rapidly spoke just as the water all drowned them.

For a brief moment, it was all dark and quiet until all of a sudden, a bright glow appeared which illuminated the area. The others were in shock and Flynn let out a muffled yell before he realized that he was underwater. However, because of the light, Flynn was able to see the rock that blocked their entrance. He then swam down and began to take out the rocks until his hand was able to go through the hole along with the water.

At last, they were finally able to get out of the cave and all of them were sent falling down the waterfall until they reached a river. Sora swam up to the surface, gasping for air before he swam towards the edge of the shore, coughing up water. He plopped himself down on the grass, trying to breath, temporarily forgetting about the scratch he had.

A second later, the rest of the others came up though Flynn joined Sora while Riku pulled himself up and he sprawled himself out on the grass.

"We made it!" Rapunzel gasped, breathing heavily. While everyone else was calm, Flynn was currently panicking.

"Your hair glows!" Flynn exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. "Why does your hair glow? Never seen that coming! Her hair actually _glows_!" he shouted, talking to the Chameleon who seemed calm about it.

"Eugene…" Rapunzel said as she got up.

"Why does her hair glow?"

"Give it a rest," Sora muttered as he struggled to pull himself up. All of this had thoroughly made him be exhausted.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel shouted.

"What?"

"It doesn't just glow," Rapunzel said, pulling her hair out of the water.

Flynn, eyes still wide with shock, looked down at the Chameleon before he spoke. "Why is he smiling at me?"

 **Author's Note: **Because he knows that Rapunzel's hair glows, duh. Gotta love Flynn though XD but the others are here! Huzzah! Which means Sora's going to get an earful though…heh. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	11. Corona

Chapter 9: Corona

Everyone got together around the campfire as they all waited an explanation from Rapunzel.

"My hair…" she started. "Uhm…it also heals…erm, here."

She yanked Sora so that he sat beside her and then she wrapped her hair around his hand though Sora gave a small grunt from the hair being too tight.

"Sorry," she replied. She took a breath, staring at her hair. "Just don't freak out," she said before she began to say the enchantment. "Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt," as she sang, her hair began to glow, the same bright light that had been shone in the cave. Everyone stared at it with fascination though Flynn looked like he was about to pass out while Sora was studying it with wide eyes.

"Change the fates design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine," she finished and the light died down. She then removed the hair, having Sora lift his hand, staring at it.

The cut that was once there was gone and Sora flexed his hand as he brushed his other hand over it.

"Woah…it's really gone…"

Rapunzel gave a small smile as she bit her lip though Flynn continued to freak out.

"Are you freaking out? Because I am freaking out! Oh that's very interesting hair. In the back of me, why is it possessed? It's… How long has it been doing that?" Flynn blurted out all in one breath.

Rapunzel eyed him as she answered. "Forever…I guess. Mother said when I was a baby people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves. But, once it's cut, it turns brown, and loses its power. A gift like that, it has to be protected. That's why Mother never let me... That's why I...I never left the..."

"You never left that tower…" Flynn concluded.

Rapunzel nodded though it made Riku frowned.

"Wait, hold on. So, besides the glowing hair and everything, how did you three meet?" Riku asked, shooting Sora a knowing look.

"Yeah. Sora owes us that much explanation after endlessly searching for him," Donald replied as he kicked him in the ankle.

"Hey—ow!" Sora exclaimed, rubbing his ankle as he glared at Donald. "Why are you guys mad at me? I should be the one mad at you because you all abandon me at the ship!"

Flynn made an odd look. "Wait, you guys have a ship?" he commented though no one seemed to hear him.

"Hey, I wanted to check out if you were alright; it was actually all Donald's idea to leave you behind since we all thought you had left," Riku muttered. "I knew I should've let you fall from that cliff…why did I had to save you?"

Sora quirked an eyebrow. "Ha. Real hilarious."

"Can we let Sora answer Riku's question?" Kairi budged in, interrupting the small argument

Riku smirked. "You're only defending him because you have a crush on him," he chuckled.

"What?" Sora asked with a blank look.

From that simple sentence, it earned Riku a painful nudge in the stomach which made him grunt from pain.

"Nothing," he said hastily.

"Anyways," Sora resumed while giving a strange look at Riku. "So, after you guys abandoned me, I left the ship and headed for the woods where I thought you guys were there but I was wrong. I ended up finding a tower where I met Rapunzel," he pointed to the golden hair girl who gave a small smile. "And there, erm…I guess we got acquainted after she hit me with a frying pan

"A frying _pan_?" Riku asked, incredulously. "How's that even a weapon?"

Sora shot him a glaring look. "Want me to show it?"

"Er…not really…"

"As I was saying, from there on, we met Flynn—"Sora pointed to Flynn who gave a lopsided grin. "So yeah…that's basically it. We set out for another adventure where Rapunzel wishes to see the floating lanterns in which they do it every year on her birthday."

"'They'?" Goofy quizzed.

"The King and Queen of Corona," Flynn answered. "They're the rules of Corona but ever since their daughter disappeared, they had fallen into a sad state where they lost hope except for the Queen. The citizens of Corona still remains strong while they also hope that their lost princess would one day return."

"That's sad," Kairi said. "I mean imagine living in grief and pain, not knowing if your daughter is even alive."

Flynn shrugged slightly. "I guess that's life…whether you accept it or not, it's up to you. And in all honesty, it's better to not dwell in the past, trust me."

Rapunzel bit her lip. "By the way, Flynn…you never told me how you got your name. Flynn Ryder even though your real name is Eugene."

Flynn stopped as he stared at Rapunzel. Silence fell except from the crackling fire that was still burning. Flynn sighed.

"Alright," he muttered. "But I'll spare you the sob story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert. It's a little bit ah... It's a little bit of a downer. There was this book. A book I used to read every night to all the younger kids. The tales of Flynnigan Ryder. Swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive. Not bad with the ladies. I...nothing to brag about, of course."

"Was he a thief too?" Sora asked, eyes narrowed.

Flynn seemed to stop for a brief second as he stared at Sora with a hard look before he continued.

"No. Actually, he had enough money to do whatever he wanted to do. He could go anywhere that he wanted to go. And...and, for a kid, with nothing. I don't know, I... It just seemed like a better option," Flynn replied as he still stared at Sora. He then tore his gaze away before looking at Rapunzel. "You can't tell anyone, about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation."

Rapunzel smirked. "Ahh, you wouldn't want that."

Flynn chuckled. "Oh, the thing about a reputation, it's all that a man has," he said as he stared into Rapunzel's green eyes but he felt himself being lost in there until he realized that he should probably snap himself back to reality. "Erm…right. I should get some more firewood and you should all go to sleep. You're going to need the rest since we still got a bit to reach the Kingdom."

With that, Flynn got up and began to walk though Rapunzel spoke, stopping him. "Hey, for the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert much better than, Flynn Ryder."

Flynn scoffed a little but gave a small smile. "Well…you'd be the first. But, thank you."

Flynn then left though Sora got up as he chased after Flynn.

"Sora!" Kairi said as she also got up.

Sora stopped in his tracks and gave a look. "You guys stay here. I'm going to help Flynn."

And then, he left into the dark. Once he was away from the campfire, Sora scanned the area until a voice spoke.

"You know if someone wants to be alone in their thoughts, you should leave them be."

Sora turned to the side with a narrowed look as he saw Flynn coming out from the shadows.

"I know how you had been fooling everyone but you don't fool me. You're a thief, aren't you?" Sora asked. "Those guards…they all have been chasing after you."

Flynn gave a hard stare before he spoke. "What gave away?"

"Your story. Look: it's bad that you had been keeping this a secret but it'll be even worse if you don't tell Rapunzel what you really are. You might lose her and her trust."

"I can say the same thing for you, you know," Flynn shot back. "You didn't come with us to be a guide. You joined us because you thought you could have a chance to reunite with your friends," Flynn took a step which actually made Sora go back a bit. "You're no better than me. Careful now. If you don't tell her, you'd lose her too."

"Unlike you, I don't have a dark secret…" Sora said before he took off, going back to the camp.

Sora kicked a pebble on his way back. If there was anything worse, it's that keeping secrets from friends. It's just terrible.

 _It's just not fair…_ he thought terribly.

"…Yes, the wanted thief…"

"Wait—a thief?"

Sora stopped in his tracks as he heard another voice. He quickly hid himself in a corner as he saw the rest of the group soundlessly sleeping except for the two people.

"I'm so proud. Come on, Rapunzel," the mysterious voice spoke.

"Wait, Mother!" Rapunzel exclaimed though she paused, being a little hesitated as she stammered the next part. "…I…I think he likes me," she made a small smile.

The 'Mother' scoffed at the idea. "Likes you? Oh please, Rapunzel. That's demented."

"But, Mother I—"

"This is why you should've never left… Dear, this whole romance that you've invented, just proves you're too naive to be here. Why a kid like you? Come on now, really."

"But I'm not—"

"Don't kid yourself, Rapunzel. You shouldn't meddle into things you know it's not your business. Now come—"

"NO! I'm not going!"

The Mother suddenly gave Rapunzel a dark look. "Fine, if you're so sure now. Go ahead then give him, THIS!" she showed her a bag which made Rapunzel gasp.

"Wait, how did you—"

"This is why he's here!" Gothel exclaimed, showing the sparkling tiara as she gave it to her. "You really can't trust no one—Not even that brown-haired kid!"

"Sora…?"

"And if he's lying, don't come crying!" with that, Gothel disappeared with a swish of her cape which left Rapunzel alone.

Sora sighed and he was about to walk towards her but then something else caught his attention which made him stop. He slightly turned around only to hear a voice.

"You know, you should really not eavesdrop on someone's conversation. It's just plain rude…"

Sora turned around to see the same shadow who had been talking to Rapunzel. "You!" Sora said as he took his stance. "What did you tell Rapunzel?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just told her the truth, honest. The truth which everyone hides," Gothel spoke darkly. "I'll tell you one more time…stay away from Rapunzel if you know what's good for you because I can guarantee you that you won't like what's coming for you."

And then, the shadow disappeared in a swish of cloak. Sora grimaced before he shook his head and he headed to the campfire.

"Hey Punz," Sora replied though Rapunzel's back was still facing him.

"Hmm…? Oh uhm…hey. Sorry…just lost in thoughts," Rapunzel said as she turned around while hiding the tiara in the process. There was a small silence before she spoke again. "I think I'll go to sleep…"

Sora nodded. "Okay…see you in the morning."

* * *

The morning came though it was one of those mornings, it came abruptly. Unexpectedly, there was a scream which made Rapunzel woken up with a start.

"ARGH!"

Rapunzel pushed herself up and all of a sudden, she saw Flynn suddenly being dragged away.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!" he exclaimed.

"No, no! Put him down!" Rapunzel shouted as she chased after Flynn.

Sora opened not too moment ago since he heard a scream. "Ungh…what's the shouting?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes from the sleep.

"FLYNN! Release him!" the voice from Rapunzel came as she demanded someone to let go of Flynn.

"Hey, Rapunzel! What's up?" Sora asked as he joined her.

"The horse is dragging away Flynn!" Rapunzel shouted.

"What?" Sora exclaimed.

"OW! Instead of gawking, how about YOU GUYS HELP ME!?" Flynn yelled. "OWW!"

"We're coming!"

Rapunzel was the first to reach him. "Woah, woah, woah! Easy, boy, easy. Calm down. Easy."

As though the horse seemed to be in a trance, he appeared to have calm down as he stared into the eyes of Rapunzel. Eyes wide, the horse dropped Flynn who grunted, muttering under his breath.

"That's it…now sit….sit. Good, now drop the boot. Drop it. Oh, you are such a good boy. Yes you are. You all tired, chasing the bad man all over the place?" she cooed.

"Excuse me?" Flynn exclaimed.

"Nobody appreciates you, do they? Do they?"

The horse shook his head as he enjoyed the petting from the girl.

"Aww, come on, he's a bad horse," Flynn complained.

"Aww, but he's nothing but a sweetheart, isn't that right…" Rapunzel trailed her eyes down as she spotted the collar around his neck. She lifted it up and saw the gleaming words etched onto the collar. "Maximus."

Flynn sighed. "You've got to be kidding me."

Sora chuckled. "Guess your luck ran out," he grinned.

"What was all the yelling?" came a grumpy voice from Donald.

Sora turned around to see the others waking up. "Hey guys," he greeted though he grinned. "Flynn nearly got captured by a horse."

"Humph. Whatever. You didn't need to wake us up," Donald muttered.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Actually, yeah we did. I think we need to get going."

"Sora's right and this horse is going with us!" Rapunzel exclaimed.

"Say what?" Flynn asked with wide eyes.

Sora merely laughed. Once everybody had composed themselves, the group began to walk down the path that would eventually make them reach the market place of the Kingdom. It nearly took them a few more hours before they heard noises from the crowd.

"What's that noise?" Goofy asked.

"Don't worry," Flynn spoke. "It's just the citizens playing their music. The market place is much fun to be at. People sing and dance as all of them joins together on this event. Trust me, you're going to enjoy the floating lanterns."

"You seem to know everything," Donald pointed it out.

Flynn gave a small chuckle. "I travel…"

Sooner or later, they finally reached the marketplace which was full of people. It appeared to be somewhere in the afternoon since the sun was high up in the sky, casting its brightly rays upon them, illuminating some of arts and decorations they had placed.

"Woah, check this out!" Sora replied.

"Oh, of course I know this place. This is where we went when we went to search for you. It's how we know the guards that were chasing after you guys," Riku explained further. "We—rather Donald—thought it was a good idea to go up to the castle in hopes that the King and Queen would be able to tell where you were."

Flynn stared at them, dumbfounded as he raised an eyebrow. "Honestly? You really think it would be that easy to have an audience with the royals?"

Riku scowled at the snarky attitude. "Look, it was Donald's idea. Not mine."

"Yeah but you're the one who bargained with the Captain guard by saying that we'll capture Ryder," Donald reminded him.

"And I suddenly feel betrayed," Flynn said.

"Hey! You're the one who punched me across the jaw!" Riku muttered.

"Well, you were interrogating me for someone I didn't even know back then! Can you blame me?" Flynn defended himself.

"So this is the Kingdom…?" Rapunzel asked, amazed. She watched as how wagons full of hay were being carried by people and small animals like chickens ran across the road. People were scurrying left and right, trying to finish their chores before dusk. There were also merchandisers who were promoting their items. This seemed to gain Rapunzel's interest as she squealed with delight.

"Oohh! Let's go there! No, there! Oh, oh, oh! How about there?!" Rapunzel squealed as she grabbed Flynn, yanking him.

"So while Flynn is too busy with Rapunzel, what are we going to do?" Riku asked.

Sora looked around at the busy streets as an idea came along.

"Hey, since we're here, we might as well enjoy the market place before the lights show," Sora said as the others agreed.

They spend the rest of the day, exploring the market place while they gradually reached at the center of the market where it was even more crowded. The music was louder as they reached the area and there were even more decorations such as banners that were colored from purple to green with the Kingdom's emblem which resembled like the sun were got hanged from poles or from the people's balcony

As the group passed by the merchandisers, Sora looked to the right and he stopped as he gave a glance at the stained wall, embodied with colored stones, creating a one huge picture with the family of the royals. Sora frowned as he stared at the family who looked happy as the mother was holding a baby that had blonde hair and green eyes.

Blonde hair and green eyes…

Something about the child threw Sora off guard as he widened his eyes, wearing an incredulous look. He then looked down to see that there were people, offering gifts to the stained painting.

"This is for the lost princess," one of the kids said.

 _Lost princess…?_ Sora thought, confused. He then stared back at the image. Yet again, the child looked remarkable like Rapunzel…

 _I wonder_ …Sora thought.

However, someone bumped into Sora which made him lose his trail of thoughts though before he could go back to them, a voice shouted.

"Sora! Over here!"

Sora turned around to see Kairi waving at him though before he took off, he gave a one last glance at the picture till he tore his gaze away, running towards Kairi.

"They're going to do dancing. Let's go!"

Sora shifted in his spot. "Erm…I don't…really erm…dance…" he stuttered.

Riku grinned as he pushed Sora further at the front. "You sure do know! Aha. Try not to stop on anyone's foot!" he called out as Sora glared at him before he got pulled into the crowd and by Kairi.

Riku looked to the side to see Donald and Goofy with their arms crossed over their chest, shooting him a look.

"What?"

Sora gasped as he found himself spinning around in the crowd, being pulled by other people but he wasn't feeling himself, however. He wasn't sure if he was overwhelmed by the loud music and the crowd or from the heat.

 _But if Rapunzel really was the lost princess, why was she doing in the tower? Just who were those two anyway? Who is that person Rapunzel was talking to from before?_

Sora felt really dizzy as his thoughts were jumbled. _Did Rapunzel intentionally or unintentionally lied to us about her being the princess?_

"Sora!" Rapunzel's voice called out.

Sora slightly glanced to the side to see Rapunzel, motioning him to come to her. She performed a small twirl and she joined Sora.

"Flynn said that the floating lanterns are going to start soon. Want to come with us?" she asked. "Sora? Sora? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" Sora mumbled incoherently. "Rapunzel…there's something I've got…to…"

"Maybe later!" she shouted before she was swept away by the crowd. He shut his eyes tight though that made only worse since people kept bumping into him but it wasn't until then where Sora heard voices though that the crowd seemed to ignore them as they were having fun.

"Stop him! That thief!"

Sora gave a small glance to the right and saw a hooded figure running away from the guards.

 _Wonder if that's Flynn_ …? _Wait, what am I thinking? He's still with Rapunzel._

And he was correct when he saw Flynn dancing with other people. Determined to get away, Sora drew in a sharp breath before he went to the other way just as Kairi was about to grab him. She gave a saddened look as Sora took off, wondering what was happening to that boy.

 _If I cut through the alley, I might be able to reach that guy._

With that, Sora went through an alleyway that came up, departing away from the hooded runner and it wasn't until then when Sora joined paths again where he tackled the thief by surprise.

Sora pinned his arms down after a struggle before he began to bombard the figure with questions.

"Who are you? What did you do?"

The hood fell off which made Sora widened his eyes, temporarily forgetting to block the next move that was formed by the person. Sora cried out as the person's fist collided against Sora's jaw and he was sent tumbling off the figure, spitting out blood. Sora took this time to observe him. He had red hair with an eyepatch covering his left eye that had a scar underneath it and he had a muscular body. He wore a dark, sleeveless shirt while wearing a long-sleeved shirt underneath it. He also had round ears.

You!" Sora exclaimed. "You're that guy from the Dam. There were only two of you. Where's the other one?"

The man laughed. "How gullible are you? You fell right into their trap," he sneered and then he got up, running away as the guards came near. As he got up, he left his small bag beside Sora who didn't notice it.

"Trap? What trap?" Sora wondered.

"Stop where you are!"

Sora turned around to see the soldiers running up to him. The boy looked behind and gazed back again with a confused look until he realized they were talking about him.

"Wait, me?"

"You're trapped! Drop everything and go on your knees!"

"But you've got the wrong person!" Sora exclaimed, being utterly confused. "That guy…he ran that way. I can help you catch him!"

"Enough!" the soldier exclaimed before jabbing his weapon's handle at Sora's stomach where he grunted from pain as he wrapped his hands around his stomach. "The King wishes your capture and you'll be thrown into a prison for the crimes you had made."

"Crimes? What crimes?"

Growling, one of the soldiers snatched the bag that was beside Sora and he looked through it. The bag was filled with stolen jewelleries.

"The missing jewelleries are indeed in here," he said.

"What?! I've never even had them! I never steal things!" Sora exclaimed.

"Take it up with the King. Let's move it."

* * *

Sora grunted as he got roughly pulled by his arms. He tried to escape their grip but it was futile.

"Listen. You got the wrong person," Sora growled as he was itching to fight some common sense into them.

"Shut your trap. We heard that story too many times so spare me the sob story," the guard spoke.

"Oh you got him. Good…" another voice spoke.

Sora glanced up as he stared at the shadows. However, as he heard the voice, something about it seemed more sinister. More menacing.

Sora squinted his eyes as a figure gradually made its way out of the shadows though he widened his eyes upon seeing the being.

With a sinister look, the person grinned malevolently.

"Throw him in there!" she commanded. Without hesitating, the guard roughly threw Sora into the prison which made him fall at the ground but before the cell door was closed, the woman sneered. "There'll be no one to save you now! And when they do try to save you, it'll be too late."

Cackling madly, the black-white haired woman harshly threw the doors, locking it before she disappeared.

 **Author's Note : **Ahhh…now Cruella's plan is finally settling into action lol but we're almost done with the Tangled world! Can you guess what the next world is? What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	12. The Lost Princess

**Shout Outs:** Thanks to Chronicler of Hearts for favoring and following the story.

* * *

Chapter 10: The Lost Princess

Riku glanced across the area while the rest of the group (except for Flynn and Rapunzel who went somewhere else). They were currently relaxing themselves at the bench that had the lake for a view and ahead of them was the castle. Something wasn't right here. Riku gave another glance from behind. Maybe it was the fact that Kairi walked towards them with a sad look on her face or the fact that Sora disappeared.

Again.

Why was it always him who noticed Sora's disappearance?

 _Sora. What did you do now?_ Riku growled in thought.

"Hey guys," Kairi muttered as she sat beside Riku.

"Gawrsh, Kairi. You look sad. Anything the matter?" Goofy asked.

Kairi shook her head. "No. Don't worry about it."

Riku frowned. "Where's Sora? What did he do this time?"

"I…I don't know. He didn't do anything other than the fact that he ran off somewhere. Why? I don't know but he just did."

Riku grimaced. Yeap. Sora has a habit for taking off somewhere as usual. And what happens? It usually has him either in trouble or being lost forever.

Riku groaned. "I swear. The next time we go to an adventure, we're going to bring a chain of Sora. I swear that kid just won't stop running off. Honestly, why did we have to bring him in?"

"Well, wherever he is, he's going to miss out the floating lanterns. It looks like it's going to start," Donald said as he motioned his head to the darkened sky.

For a few seconds, the sky was dark except having glittering stars sparkling up above and the lights that were from the Kingdom and the city itself. Riku held his breath as the others were watching the sky intently.

And then, ever so slowly, it happened. Far off at the distance, towards the castle, there was a small lit lantern that was floating away by itself before it got joined by thousands of the same kind that were being delivered by the boats which had set them free. All of them were illuminating the night sky as it was covering it completely. There wasn't even a single star that could be seen from the glowing lanterns.

"Woah!" they all exclaimed as Kairi gasped with amazement. She stared at the floating lights that were gently falling and as she stared at them, she felt warm and light as this scene made her think about Sora.

Just by mentioning his name, it made her blush.

Everything including the lake was being shone by the light, enlightening its beauty even more. Kairi tilted her head to the side before she rushed towards the edge of the rocks to save a lantern that was about to hit the water. She gave a small lift to it so that it floated upwards, joining the others.

As the lanterns were resuming their routine, Riku looked up at the brighten sky as he thought.

 _Sora, where are you?_

* * *

Sora cracked both of his eyes open. For a brief moment, his vision was hazy but it quickly passed away as he pushed himself up.

 _Where am I?_

His eyes then trailed at the front as he noticed the bars in front of him. Oh, that's right. Now he remembers. He got thrown into jail, being wrongly accused for something he never did. Sora growled as he remembered the guy with the eyepatch who ran away.

When he finds him, Sora would make sure he would pay.

"How do I get out of here…?" he muttered.

"You can't," the voice announced which made Sora be on guard. He narrowed his eyes, squinting through the darkness while a question was inside his head.

Why was it that every time a person is making himself/herself known they always have to hide in the dark?

"What's the matter? Too much of a coward to show yourself?" Sora sneered, grabbing the bars and he tightened his grip on them.

Unfazed by the words, the silhouette simply made a small flick of her hand. Because it was small, Sora wasn't aware of it until at the last minute where it sent jolts of electricity throughout his body, making him wince from pain.

He tried to not let out a scream but rather he let out an uncomfortable strain of gasp. He wheezed, wincing from the pain that had ended and he slightly gave a glare at the shadow.

"Now that intolerance won't be tolerated, we can begin…"

* * *

While there were still lanterns up at the sky, the group were only now waiting for Flynn and Rapunzel.

"Guys, I don't like this..." Kairi replied after a while.

"I know what you mean. Those two should've been back by now," Donald spoke.

Goofy sighed as he wondered if they'll ever get their friends back. He then looked back only to find a figure that looked about having Rapunzel's height was running down the street.

"Hey, is that Rapunzel? She's seems to be in a hurry," Goofy pointed out.

Riku narrowed his eyes before he spoke. "Well, come on. Let's go follow her."

With that, the group took off, chasing after the shadow down the street and through the alleyways. When they were close enough, they called out.

"Rapunzel!" Kairi called out. "Wait!"

The hooded shadow gave a small gasp as it slightly turned its head before making another turn at the corner.

But, perhaps the next move shocked the group. As soon as the shadow turned the corner, in puffs of dark blue smoke, strange figures popped up, blocking their paths.

The group halted in their tracks as they looked around the odd beings.

"What are those?" Kairi gasped.

"Could it be...Heartless?" Goofy quizzed.

"But how? I thought we had defeated every single creatures there was," Riku spoke.

He stared at the creatures. They were skeletal, pale skin and something was unnerving about them. They literally had no face and what made it so scary was the way they stared ominously at the group.

"So do we call them the 'Faceless?'" Riku joked.

"Not funny, Riku..." Kairi replied nervously. "Hey uh...didn't the King mentioned about a new evil? Could this be it?"

Donald shrugged. "Could be. Something tells me that wasn't Rapunzel..." he added.

"Well. We can't stand here. We have to fight them!" Riku proclaimed.

"Hey. I don't think you realize but we don't have our Keyblades!" Kairi said.

Riku gave a hard stare at the 'Faceless'. "Well, I guess we have to do this the old fashioned way...ragh!"

Riku gave a charged yell and then he made punch across the face of the enemy. It didn't even staggered back though it did had its head go back but it then brought back to its proper position, glaring at Riku before the being delivered its own attack.

Riku shouted as he flew across until he landed roughly on the ground. After seeing this, the group went into fighting mode while knowing that they would probably end up like Riku.

Perhaps that was what made them so dangerous.

 _Keyblade...where are you?_ Riku thought as he turned his head back to glance at all the fighting that was going on.

The group wasn't doing too well. He then noticed that one if the creatures was going to attack Goofy from behind. Eyes wide, Riku scrambled up as he ran towards him.

"No!"

And then, as Riku jumped into the air, all of a sudden, a bright glow materialized in his hand. When he brought his hand down to strike, the object sliced through the Faceless and a _clang_ was heard as it hit the ground.

Goofy turned around and saw Riku panting though he looked down at the ground to see the dark blue blood staining the floor and he instantly connected the dots.

However, something else had gotten his attention.

"Gawrsh, Riku. Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem," Riku nodded as he got up. He suddenly got just a bit heavy...

"But you might want to look down. I think you'll like what you see."

Raising an eyebrow, Riku looked down only to see the blade.

"The Keyblade!" Riku exclaimed. "It came! But how?"

He had less time to shoot out some answers for his question since more came. Riku grinned.

"Now, it's time to fight back!"

* * *

"What...what do you want with me?" Sora asked the shadow.

The figure stopped what she was doing and turned around to give a look at him.

"You really have no idea don't you?" she asked.

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking," he shot back.

However, Sora cringed as he was waiting for the electricity to come but it never did. Instead, the shadow studied him before she decided to emerge from the darkness. When she did, Sora widened her eyes at the person.

"Cruella?" Sora questioned.

The woman smirked. "Look kid...it's complicated. Do you even know what you're up against? If so, then you stand no chance in survival."

Sora narrowed his eyes. "I'll be the judge of that. But you still haven't answered my other question. What do you with me?" he growled.

"You're certainly persistent. I'll give you that. You see, after doing a bit of research, I discovered that there was an unspeakable power that lies somewhere but wherever it is, I need it. I need it to awaken itself," she growled.

"Tough luck. I'm not going to let you get it."

Cruella smirked. "You don't have a choice. That power—the one that allows you to shake your reality on how you want it to be—must be in you. If not, then you must have a clue inside you."

Sora widened his eyes. "Me? What makes you so sure that it's me?"

"Because your light always shines the strongest," she gave him a look, indicating that it was as though the most obvious answer. "Well...there is small little Kairi but she won't do—"

"Stay away from Kairi!"

The woman paused as she gave him glance, having a sly smile creeping up her lips.

"My, my. Don't tell me you have a thing for her?" she gleamed madly which made Sora be uneasy.

"We're just...friends."

"Ha! Just friends? Please, I know that route. No one's just friends when they're madly in love with their buddy."

"But I'm not—"

Cruella cackled. "I find that cute. Adorable even. But too bad you won't stick around to tell her your undying love to her," her tone suddenly grew dark and sinister.

"Oh yeah? What are going to do with me? You can't open the door without a key and there are no guards around."

Cruella shot him an annoyed look. "Imbecile. Have you forgotten..." she spoke, walking towards the bars.

It actually made Sora be scared of her since he started to scramble backwards until his back reached the wall.

"Who you are dealing with?" Cruella asked as she materialized _through_ the bars and into the cell.

"I'm Cruella Devil. Don't you forget it," she snarled before she raised her hand.

With a snap of her fingers, Sora's arms were chained much to his surprise and he tried to release him but it was futile.

"Struggling is...futile."

And then, she extended both of her arms out and a crackle of dark red energy appeared. It shot out of her hands, zapping Sora.

He screamed from agony as the power coursed throughout his body. It hurts so bad...make it...stop...

Sora resumed screaming as the energy got fiercer but it only made Cruella growl from annoyance.

"Open up, you fool! I know you have the power!" she yelled, shooting out more power.

It felt like his body was on fire, gradually being weakened as it continued to drain his energy. He had no will to fight anymore.

"S...stop..." Sora gasped as his head was lopsided to the side.

Cruella didn't hear it as she was too consumed by the power she so desperately needed. Her mad gleaming eyes shone madder as she shoot another streak of power and then another, torturing Sora even more.

And then, she stopped abruptly.

"Hmph. I guess you don't have the power after all…" Cruella replied.

"What power are you even talking about?" Sora asked as he shut his eyes tight, trying to breath.

Cruella gave him a hard stare. "The power that holds everything—the Ultimate Power. It goes by another name; the Sleeping Power only because it has been in its slumber for quite a long time but it's time for it to awaken itself."

Sora let out a small smirk. "Heh…if it's time to awaken it…obviously, it's not…ready for it…"

Cruella made a small snarl but she then began to walk towards the bars before going exiting, going to the other side. Before she fully left, she gave a glance to the side.

"You've got guts kid," Cruella said. "Not many people have that. Oh and I should mention…you won't be alone."

With that, Cruella snapped her fingers and the chains that were on Sora vanished which left the boy collapse on the floor, feeling the cold stone against his cheek. As his vision was going blurry, he heard voices shouting before the sound of the jail door being opened only to be closed again.

"Hey? Sora…? Sora! Wake up, kid."

But Sora passed out.

* * *

Rapunzel let out a heavy sigh as she sat on the edge of the bed, holding the small banner she got at the marketplace. She didn't understood what had happened. One minute, Flynn and her were all enjoying the market and then the lantern which was beautiful and then the next, she met these two large people before meeting Mother Gothel…

"Rapunzel?" the voice from Gothel spoke. She opened the door only to sigh as she saw a saddened Rapunzel. With a pity look, Gothel walked towards her and sat beside, beginning to pick out the flowers that were in hair.

"There, it never happened. Now, wash up for dinner. I'm making hazel nut soup," Gothel grinned in attempt to cheer up Rapunzel but it didn't work. Gothel's face softened as she spoke. I really did try, Rapunzel. I tried to warn you, what was out there."

Sighing, Gothel walked towards the door but before she left, she turned around and stared at the upset girl.

"The world is dark, and selfish, and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine. It destroys it," she said and then she closed the door, leaving Rapunzel to her thoughts.

 _It's just not fair…_ Rapunzel thought, staring at the small banner. Letting out another heavy sigh, she laid down on the bed, closing her eyes. Her heart was in pain as her body was limp with agony.

She really thought she understood Flynn, took every word from him and yet…he left.

Rapunzel opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, hoping that it would distract her. However, the more she gazed at it, something about it seemed…familiar. As though it the holes that were in her mind were finally starting to connect herself.

 _What…?_

She looked more at the drawings before she lifted the banner that was in her hands and started comparing them. Eyes wide, Rapunzel let out a gasp as the flowers that was on the ceiling began the glow, one by one until all of them were lit up like stars. She got up, still gazing at the drawings and her mind was spinning as flashes of images went into her mind.

There, it showed the King and Queen, smiling at the newborn baby before it went to the stained painting she saw at the marketplace and then another image flashed into her mind where she tried out on the tiara.

Over flooded, Rapunzel stumbled backwards unstable, bumping into her dressing table. She vaguely heard the Mother calling out her name since she was too busy connecting the dots.

"…Rapunzel, what's going on up there?" Gothel shouted as she opened the door, revealing an overwhelmed Rapunzel who stared down at the floor.

"I'm the lost princess…" Rapunzel mumbled in realization.

Gothel gave her an annoyed look. "Please, speak up, Rapunzel. You know how I hate the mumbling."

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes as she stood up, staring boldly at Gothel. "I am the lost Princess. Aren't I?" she spoke, glaring at Gothel who widened her eyes.

 **Author's Note: **That you are. Go Punzie! ^^ I always liked that part where she finally figured out who she really was—I have to say it—but even though I do like Frozen, Tangled will always be a better story. At least that's for me; don't get me wrong though. I loved both movies but I feel that Tangled had a better story flow and a better villain—that's just me, I guess. And hooray! Riku got his Keyblade back! And I also did research between Cruella and Sora and I think it's safe to assume that those two knew each other-if I'm wrong, please correct me. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	13. The Fight to Save the Keyblade Wielder a

**Shout Outs: **Thanks to timbo8 for favoring and following the story.

* * *

Chapter 11: The Fight to Save the Keyblade Wielder and the Thief

"Did I mumble, Mother? Or should I even call you that?" Rapunzel spoke angrily.

Gothel widened her eyes as she realized that she was in trouble but she stood her ground, remaining calm as she gave out a small scoff. "Rapunzel, do you even hear yourself? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?" she asked, coming forward in attempt to hug her.

"It was you!" Rapunzel exclaimed, pushing her away. "It was all _you_!"

Gothel stared down at her. "Everything I did, was to protect you."

Rapunzel slightly bared her teeth, shooting her a furious look before she shoved Gothel out of the way as she stormed down the stairs.

"Rapunzel!"

"I spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my power."

" _Rapunzel_!"

"I should have been hiding from you!" Rapunzel yelled as she reached the bottom.

"Where will you go?" Gothel challenged her. "He won't be there for you," she grinned nastily.

Rapunzel widened her eyes as she thought of Flynn. But that also wasn't bothering her as well. The last time she saw Sora was at the dance and he didn't looked too well, to be honest.

"What did you do to him?" Rapunzel asked, suddenly scared for Flynn's life. "What did you do to Sora? Where are they?!"

Gothel sneered. "Those criminals are to be hanged for their crimes."

Rapunzel gasped. "No…"

A small sly smile escaped Gothel's lips. "Now, now, it's alright…" she said as she came closer to her. "All of this is as it should be…" Gothel spoke as she moved her hand towards Rapunzel's head in attempt to comfort her.

But before Gothel could even touch her hair, Rapunzel grabbed her hand, preventing Gothel's hand to go further.

" _NO_!" she shouted. " _You_ were wrong about the world. And you were wrong about me. And I will _never_ let you use my hair again!"

At the last struggle, Gothel managed to yank her hand out of Rapunzel's grip but it caused her stumble backwards and in doing so, Gothel crashed at a nearby mirror stand which fell down to the ground, cracking the glass.

Rapunzel breathed heavily, staring down at her coldly before she walked away, going into the shadows.

Gothel growled in a low tone as she picked herself up though she wore a sinister look. "You want me to be a bad guy? Fine. I'll be the bad guy…" she spoke menacingly.

* * *

"Let me go!" Flynn exclaimed, struggling.

"Shut up," one of the guards spoke.

"Look: I don't know what Sora did but let him go. He's just a kid! Take me instead…"

"I said shut up!" the same solider shouted, shoving Flynn's head down. "Both of you are to pay for your crimes," he growled. "You nasty thieves."

Flynn made a quiet growl but he glanced to the right to see a weakened Sora. He had no idea what got Sora into that state but he looked pretty terrible. He wasn't the same kid whom he had met from before. Sora was weak, drained and could barely even hold himself up.

 _What did they do to you?_

"Hey kid," Flynn said as he nudged him.

"Hmm…?" Sora slurred.

"Hang in there, alright?" Flynn slightly grinned but it faltered. "Sorry," he muttered. "Terrible joke…but hold on. We're going to get out of here…"

"Ungh…"

They continued to go down the hallway but as they did, Flynn turned to the side to see the Stabbington brothers. Almost at once, anger took over Flynn since he began to ram his head at the solider before going to knocking the other guard. He then jumped in the air once both of the soldiers have been knocked out and he jumped over his hands so that they were now in front of him instead of being behind. Growling with rage, he ran towards Sideburns (the one who didn't had an eyepatch) and grabbed him at the scruff of his shirt, slamming his face against the bars.

"How did you know about her?!" Flynn yelled from rage. "Tell me, now!"

"It wasn't us!" Sideburns exclaimed. "It was the old lady!"

Flynn made a confused look. "Old lady…?" it was then where he realized who Sideburns was talking about but it was already too late since the guards who just got up grabbed Flynn by the shoulders, yanking him away.

"Wait, no! Wait!" Flynn yelled. "You don't understand! She's in trouble! Wait!"

Sora was still too weak to even know what was going on. All he knew was seeing Flynn ramming into the soldiers only to have him get captured again. However, Flynn had other things on his mind. He had to go save Rapunzel before it's too late.

As they were coming towards the door which was at the end of the hallway, the door was suddenly slammed closed. The main guard blinked with surprise as he shouted with a demanded tone.

"What's this? Open up!" he demanded.

The door grate slid open to reveal the cupid-like man who gave an amused look. "What's the password?"

"What?" the leader asked, blankly.

"Nope."

"Open this door!"

"Pfft, not even close."

The leader growled. "You have four seconds…One…"

Sora opened his eyes to see what was going on since they suddenly stopped. However, he opened them at the right time since the minute the leader said 'one', the guard beside Flynn suddenly got lifted upwards, vanishing from his spot. Sora blinked as he wondered what he was seeing was actually happening.

"Two…"

The guard that was to the right of Flynn got yanked from the side. Sora made a small amused smile as the leader said 'three.'

Right there, the guard that was only holding Sora also vanished though it made Sora collapse on his knees as he stumbled. The leader then turned around only to see Sora who was on his knees and Flynn standing up though he gave a small wave.

"Four…" the leader trailed off.

The main solider looked at them with an apprehensive look until something from the back appeared behind him. Flynn grinned and as though the guard caught on, he nervously turned around only to see the large looming person that had a helmet on his head, glaring down at him. The guard gulped before he got knocked out from the back of his head.

"Frying pan. Who knew right?" Flynn asked.

Yet, that didn't stop the rest of the guards to break down the door that was from behind Flynn and Sora.

"Oh boy. We gotta move!" Flynn exclaimed.

At once, something grabbed Flynn's hand and he was yanked to the other pathway but unfortunately for Sora, he didn't got so lucky. As soon as he was about to follow Flynn, two guards grabbed him from his arms, dragging him back. Flynn stumbled in his tracks as he Sora being dragged away.

"Wait, no. Sora! Sora!" Flynn exclaimed. "We have to stop. We have to go get him!"

"If we go back, then we'd all be caught," the one who grabbed Flynn spoke.

"So we're just going to leave him to his demise? For something he never done?"

"That's how it goes…"

Flynn closed his eyes as anger washed over his face. The guards behind them still chased the two until they were stopped by a mime. He performed the wall trick until he looked to the right to see someone charging towards the guards.

The loud charged yell grabbed the soldiers' attention only to find them give out a scream as they got knocked out like dominoes by the charging man. Flynn and the guy with the helmet got out of the prison hall and into the courtyard only to see thousands of guards coming from different directions and it made him panic about it.

How were they going to get out of this one?

He then suddenly felt himself got lifted only to be placed back down since he was moved to a different spot.

"Head down," the man beside Flynn instructed him.

"Head down," Flynn did as he was told.

"Thumbs in?"

"Thumbs in," Flynn confirmed.

"Knees apart?"

"Knees apart," it was then where he made a questioning look. "Wait. Why do I need my—"

As though to answer his question, the thug behind him jumped into the air so that he landed on the ramp, launching Flynn into the air who screamed as he flew in the air.

"ARRGHHHH!"

Flynn closed his eyes as he waited for the impact to come but it never did since he landed on something hard although it actually made him be in pain in the middle. Flynn opened his eyes only to see that he—by some luck—sat right on the horse's saddle.

The horse gave him a knowing look and if he could smirk, he would have.

"Max…?" Flynn asked with eyes wide. "You brought them here?"

The horse nodded.

Flynn softened his expression. "Thank you. No, really thank you. Uh, I feel maybe this whole time we've just misunderstanding one another. And we really just, yeah your right. We should go," he trailed off after Max gave him an annoyed look. "Come on, Max. We got to get the others to save Sora! Hyah!"

With that, Max took off at full speed which made Flynn gently grab at Max's mane so that he wouldn't fall off from the seat at the high speed. They ran across the bridge though from both directions, more guards came as they fired their weapons in hopes of stopping the thief but it was to no avail.

Flynn then looked straight ahead to see the large gap that was coming up.

"Oh boy…Max…"

Determined, Max doubled his speed and then at the right time, Max took off though Flynn resumed his screaming but because of the gap, Max was forced to slide down the roof, shaking off the bricks during the process. As he came near at the edge, Max jumped again and he successfully landed on the ground though he nearly ran over a few citizens who were in the path.

Nevertheless, Max resumed running down the road as though he knew where to go since he had been down that forest path before. As they were passing by in a hurry, Flynn suddenly gave a quick glance to the left before he made Max pause in his tracks.

"Wait, stop. Max!" Flynn said, halting him. "Woah easy there."

Flynn quickly jumped off from Max and rushed towards the people.

"Guys!" Flynn exclaimed. The group turned their heads around and saw Flynn running after them.

"Flynn!" they shouted.

Flynn stopped to a halt, trying to catch his breath but he spoke at a rapid speed.

"Woah, woah! Calm down!" Goofy said.

"Sorry," Flynn gasped.

Kairi looked around as she noticed that something wasn't right. "Where's Sora?"

"That's the thing. Sora was with me, being in jail for something he never did. But we're wasting time! If we don't get to him quickly, he's going to be wrongly executed!"

The group gasped before Flynn took off to the other direction.

"So, come on!" Flynn said, ushering them.

"Wait!" Riku said, stopping Flynn. "What about Rapunzel?"

Flynn paused in his tracks and if Riku hadn't told him about Rapunzel, he nearly would've forgotten about her since Sora was on his mind as well. He turned around, staring at the group with wide eyes though Riku smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. We got Sora. You get Rapunzel. Go. We got this."

Flynn nodded. "Thanks guys. Sora's at the other side of the courtyard. If you go through the corridors, you should reach him in time."

Riku nodded. "Right. Off you go."

Nodding, Flynn went back to the direction to where he left Max and then he jumped back on the saddle. Before he took off, Flynn turned around.

"See you back at the tower," Flynn replied and then he took off.

* * *

Sora grunted as he got shoved roughly, making him stumble forward. So this was it, huh? This was how he's going to die.

Sora made a small scoff. But the important thing was that Flynn at least had gotten to Rapunzel…

At least Sora hoped that he did or otherwise, all of this was for nothing.

Sora took in a breath as he felt the rope tied around his neck but it wasn't a strong hold yet.

"Do you deny the crimes of what you had done?" the announcer spoke.

Sora glared as he realized that whatever he declines it would be hopeless. "Look. I didn't stole those jewelleries," he muttered.

"Are you aware of the consequences?" the speaker further went.

Sora shot him a glare. "Obviously," he sneered.

The speaker then shot a glance at the executioner, giving him a nod. "Right then. We shall proceed."

With that, the person walked off the board and then the slayer placed his hand on the handle where he pushed it down. As though the time was in slow motion, the moment the handle was being pulled down, something ran towards the scene and right as the lever was released, the board got divided into two and Sora made a small gasp as he felt the rope being tightened around his neck.

But before the process could fully be done, something leaped into the air, cutting off the rope and Sora felt himself fall down to the ground. He grunted upon the impact, giving out a small harsh gulp of air.

He pushed himself up he looked up to see a figure, standing nearly at the edge. However, the person peered down, giving Sora a knowing smirk.

"You honestly don't I would leave you hanging, didn't you?" the newcomer grinned though it made Sora give a glare. "I know, I know. Terrible joke."

"Nice to see you too," Sora replied sarcastically as he knew that the blue hair automatically gave away as to who it was.

Riku proceeded to fight off the executioner while Sora got up but slightly staggered forward though he caught his balance. Before he could move, something grabbed his hand which made him run with them.

"Let's go!"

"Wait, what about Riku?" Sora shouted.

As though Riku had heard him, Riku yelled back. "For once in your life, forget about me! Go get Flynn!"

With that, Sora blindly ran forward but he turned his head to the side to see Riku's outline one last time before Riku faded away from his sight.

 _Riku…_

* * *

Maybe Sora thought he had seen everything but he was wrong. The minute he entered into the tower, the first he noticed that everything was dark and there was barely any light.

"Sora! Thank goodness you're still alive!" another voice spoke. As Sora turned around, he stumbled back because of a hug that was flung around him.

"Flynn!" Sora cried out, trying to catch his balance.

"You're alive…" Flynn breathed. "They got to you on time and—"

He widened his eyes as he stared at the front. There was Rapunzel who was tied and her mouth was covered by a cloth so all she could do was give out panicked muffles. Sora followed his stare only to cry out from shock and he went towards her but Rapunzel kept on muffling furiously as though she was trying to tell them something.

"Rapunzel, what—"Sora began to ask but the minute he turned his head to Flynn, he cried out in alarm though his warning came too late.

"Flynn, look out!"

Unfortunately, Flynn suddenly felt something sharp through his stomach before he collapsed down to the ground. Behind Flynn was Gothel who wore an unsympathetic look.

"Oh Rapunzel…look what you had done," Gothel spoke. "But don't worry. Our secret dies with him."

"You didn't had do that," Sora shot back.

Gothel narrowed her eyes dangerously and she walked towards Sora as she stepped over Flynn without a care.

"Listen boy. You've been nothing but _trouble_ ," she snarled as she came dangerously close to him, trapping him against the wall and she put him the bloody blade against his neck, threatening him. "You stay out of this or you'll meet the same sticky end as Flynn!" she growled.

Sora winced as the blade got pressed further in and there was a small trickle of blood coming out. Gothel tore her gaze away as she then looked at Rapunzel who was desperately trying to reach out to them. Sora took this chance to go to Flynn who groaned from the pain.

"No…" Flynn winced, finding it harder to breath. "Forget about…me…go save…Rapunzel…"

"And as for us?" Gothel replied, walking towards Rapunzel. She grabbed the chain from behind, pulling Rapunzel to the trapdoor. "We are going where no one will ever find you, again," she stated, pulling Rapunzel back but the girl struggled furiously as she tried to escape Gothel's grip. However, Pascal came along and he bit at the edge of Gothel's edge, trying to pull Gothel away from Rapunzel.

Annoyed, Gothel kicked Pascal away.

"Rapunzel, really!" Gothel exclaimed, irritated. "Enough already! Stop fighting me!"

At last, Rapunzel finally managed to pull down the cloth that was covering her mouth.

"NO!" she yelled, shooting Gothel a look of rage. "I won't stop. For every minute of the rest of my life I will fight. I will never stop trying to get away from you," she breathed heavily but then her face softened. "But, if you let me save him... I will go with you."

There was a look of doubt on Gothel's face, not really believing Rapunzel's words. Seeing the stare, Rapunzel bit her lip and she hated herself for saying the next words.

"No…" Flynn moaned.

"I'll never run, I'll never try to escape. Just let me heal him. And you and I will be together. Forever, just like you want. Everything will be the way it was," she was on the verge of tears and she shut her eyes tight only to open them again as she spoke the next word.

"I…promise," Rapunzel promised. "Just like you want. Just let me heal him."

And right there, Gothel had a change of look. It took a while to convince Gothel but she gradually released Rapunzel though she walked towards Flynn and chained him before she chained Sora as well.

"In case you two get any ideas about following us," Gothel growled.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel gasped, scrambling towards him. Rapunzel moved his hand away, studying the wound. "Everything's going to be okay in a moment," she whispered while picking up her hair so that she could wrap it around Flynn's waist but he merely shoved it away.

"No, Rapunzel…"

Sora stared at the scene in sadness, biting his lip. He could've done something to prevent this. But his warning came a bit too late.

"You have to trust me," Rapunzel spoke, being on the verge of tears.

"No…" Flynn winced. "I can't let you do this…"

Rapunzel let out a shaky breath. "I can't let you die."

"But if you do this…"

"Shh…" Rapunzel whispered while placing an affectionate hand on his cheek. During this, Sora wasn't aware that the others had come along; all of them had just now entered in, watching the scene that was in front of them.

"Then you will die…" Flynn spoke, weakly.

"Hey…it's going to be alright," Rapunzel reassured him. Flynn winced as the pain stung even more and he glanced to the right to see Sora.

"Hey…Spike…"

"Hey…" Sora sniffed.

"Aww come now…don't tell me…you're…upset," Flynn threw a weak grin.

"Shut up, you rat," Sora mumbled.

Flynn then trailed his eyes over Sora's shoulder and noticed the group.

"Guys…" Flynn managed a smile. "Why the sad faces?"

Frowning, Sora turned around only to see his friends standing in the view though while Sora was happy to see that they were alright, he could only give them a saddened look. Without any words, Kairi walked towards Sora, falling down to her knees and gave a comforting hug to Sora.

Not wasting any more minutes, Rapunzel began to do her work while Flynn kept pushing her away. She started to say the spell but Flynn stopped her.

"Rapunzel, wait…" he said.

However, the next thing he did totally shocked everyone. He made his hands towards Rapunzel where she thought he would caress her but she was proven wrong. His hands were led behind Rapunzel's hair and then he grabbed it in his fist. He cut the hair by using the broken glass shard from the mirror and at once, Rapunzel's hair turned brown.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel whispered, shocked.

Staring at Flynn with disbelief, Sora turned to the rest of the hair that changed its color to dark brown while Gothel was shrieking.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" she shrieked. "NO! NO!" panicked, Gothel ran towards the broken mirror only to be horrified at what she had saw. Her beauty…the youth…they were all gone and she was back to being old.

Her black hair turned white, signs of oldness returned to her face and plainly, she looked like an old witch. Screaming with rage, Gothel grabbed her hood in attempt to cover her face since she could no longer stare at herself but because the hood was covering her eyes, she walked away from the mirror and didn't saw where she was going.

Getting an idea, Pascal bit the remaining hair from Rapunzel and he pulled it so that Gothel tripped over it and fell out of the window, ending Gothel once and for all.

 **Author's Note: **So I'm gonna go ahead and say that Pascal became a Chameleon killer…just saying…damn. BUT, we're almost finishing up Rapunzel's world. I know I said that from the last chapter but this time is true guys. The next chapter is the finally chapter of Rapunzel before Sora heads out to a new world. Oh and as for the Stabbington brothers, I didn't made up the names. They are actually called Sideburns (the one without the eyepatch) and Patchy (the one with the eyepatch) What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	14. Troubling News

Chapter 12: Troubling News

Eyes wide with shock and feeling numb, Rapunzel, for a brief moment, temporarily had forgotten about Flynn since she just witnessed the death of Gothel. Sure, she kidnapped her and used her hair for her own reasons, but maybe…deep down, Rapunzel believed that she truly cared for her.

After all, she didn't knew her real parents at all.

"Rapunzel?"

Her world had just came crashing down and she lost everyone. Almost.

"Rapunzel!" Sora's voice managed to break Rapunzel out of her thoughts.

"What?" she replied, still feeling numb.

Sora closed his eyes before he reopened them, staring straight into hers. "There's…something I need to tell you…"

Rapunzel shook her head, sadly; a remorse look came on her face. "I know," she said bitterly which made Sora be surprised. "I'm the lost princess…" she gave a small laugh, sending him a small smile. "Who knew, right? Heh…"

Suddenly realizing that Flynn was dying (even though there was a chance that he was already dead), Rapunzel stared back at Eugene, grabbing him so that he was in her arms and tears were flowing down.

"No, no, no, no. Eugene!" Rapunzel said through her tears. Her heart ached with so much pain. Everything was like this because of her. "Look at me. I'm right here…" she sobbed. "I'm right here…"

She placed his hand on her head in hopes that could heal him. She didn't wanted to accept this fate just yet.

"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your powers shine," she gritted her teeth. "Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine…"

"Rapunzel!" Flynn slightly shouted but it was weak though this seemed to have gained Rapunzel's attention.

"What?" she sobbed, the tears were no longer controlled.

"You…you were my new dream," Flynn shot her a weak smile.

Rapunzel cried, hugging him closer. "And you were mine."

And then, Flynn knew no more. Her body was shaking badly as she felt his hand slipping away from her grip and Rapunzel knew she lost him forever. The room was completely silent since no one spoke a word about anything. They merely put their heads down in respect for Flynn while Rapunzel softly resumed singing her enchanting song.

"Heal what has been hurt…" she whispered, her eyes flowing with tears. "Change the fates design… Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine…"

Like that, Rapunzel nuzzled against the cold skin of Flynn and the only thing that was heard were her sobs. Sora felt Kairi nudging him as she hugged her arm, staring at the front with a bitter look.

"I'm so sorry…" Sora muttered. Rapunzel didn't deserved this. Her tears fell on Flynn's cheek and nothing what the group did or say would comfort her. Rapunzel was completely heart-broken. She lost all the willpower to even say anything.

"If I had done something…" Sora started.

"Don't," Rapunzel replied through her shaky breath. "Nothing…you say would change…what has happened…"

Sora softened his expression while Kairi whispered in his ear.

"We can't meddle with things. They have to go along with the original plot," Kairi whispered.

Just then, the tear that fell on Flynn's cheek got absorbed and then, unexpectedly, a bright glow shone at his cheek. Donald lifted his head since he was also feeling terrible but because of the light, it grabbed his attention.

"Hey, look!" Donald exclaimed, pointing at the light.

"What…" Rapunzel lifted her head slightly as she saw the glow running its course. The light trailed down to the wound, shooting out its rays of light as it began to heal Eugene. Trails of light began to illuminate the dark room as everyone stared at the scene with amazement. The ribbons swirled in their path, filling the entire room with its light as it also consumed Rapunzel who stared at it, being stunned.

As it was releasing its powerful rays of light, the patterns was eventually formed into a flower—the very flower that gave Rapunzel's power. Everyone felt its warmth; their heavy hearts being relaxed at the illumination before it died down.

Barely breathing, Rapunzel frantically looked back at Eugene as she waited for the change. Anything.

What it felt like forever, Eugene's eyes had finally flickered open and he turned his head to Rapunzel, muttering in a soft tone where Rapunzel could only hear it.

"Rapunzel…?" Eugene mumbled.

But from that simple sentence, it made Rapunzel's world complete. Happiness took over as she stuttered out his name.

"E—Eugene?"

Flynn breathed heavily since he was just starting to compose himself but he still managed to find some strength into talking.

"Did I ever tell you, I've got a thing for brunettes?" he grinned silly.

Sora let out a sigh of relief even though Rapunzel tackled Eugene from pure happiness, hugging him.

"You're okay!" Sora cried out. "Guys, Flynn's alive!"

"Oh, boy!" Donald exclaimed, delighted.

The two shared a moment as Rapunzel let out a small laugh before she did the next thing that surprised everybody even though most of them saw it coming. She even surprised herself.

Rapunzel threw herself against Eugene, planting a kiss on his lips. For a second, Flynn went numb and was unable to collect himself at the moment before he gradually shared the kiss. Sora grinned.

There was a happy ending after all.

"Aww," Sora smiled slyly. "Eugene got himself a girlfriend."

Blushing furiously, Rapunzel pulled herself away and stammered; her cheeks going red.

"Hey, only Rapunzel can call me Eugene. You guys have to stick by Flynn," Eugene smirked.

Sora rolled his eyes.

"Yeah and you're being a bit of a hypocrite yourself, Sora," Riku's voice came as he kneeled down, grinning.

"Huh?"

He then looked to the side and noticed that Kairi was still lingering beside him. Eyes wide, Kairi quickly pulled herself away, moving herself away from him. Riku laughed though he was met with a glare from Kairi.

"You great big prick," Kairi hissed.

Sora eyed them skeptically until he realized that he was still chained. "Erm…anyone got something that could get me out of this?" he lifted his hands to show the chains in a helpless manner.

Riku shook his head, amused. "Don't worry. I got something."

At his left hand, a glow came which revealed his weapon though it made Sora widened his eyes.

"Your Keyblade!" he exclaimed. "It came!"

Rapunzel shot them a confused look. "A what?"

"It's our weapon. It's how we can fight," Riku summarized before Kairi slid backwards in order to allow Riku to perform his action.

Sora brought his hands up at the front and with a swing, Riku cut through the chains, breaking them apart. The metals clanged against the ground and Sora rubbed his wrists, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Ohh…finally," he muttered. "No more chains."

Riku gave him a playful grin as he placed the Keyblade across his shoulders from behind, having his arms flop over it.

"You know, I'm starting to think that we should carry chains for Sora," Riku replied, having Sora widened his eyes as he stared up at Riku.

"Huh? What do you mean? I've been chained enough, thanks."

Riku laughed. "I'm saying because almost everywhere we go, we would always lose you. You just can't stand still, can you?"

Sora winced but he grinned anyway. "No, I guess I can't."

Everyone laughed until Flynn spoke.

"Before you guys leave, there's one more thing we have to do…"

He gave a knowing look at Rapunzel who stared at him until she realized what she meant. She bit her lip, not sure if she should proceed. Not sure if she's even ready to meet them. Eugene's hand caressed her cheek and he gave a reassured nod.

"It's time," Eugene replied, softly.

* * *

The guard furiously ran down the halls. He didn't even stopped running. Not after he heard the news. And when the castle heard the news, the whole city itself from excitement.

He panted, not stopping until he reached his destination. Once he did, he allowed himself to compose himself for a few seconds before taking in a breath and opened the doors where he knew the King and Queen would be.

The guard didn't even have to say anything since they automatically knew. He simply gave them a nod and without a wasting a second, the Queen jumped from her seat and ran down the halls, chasing after the solider.

Her heart was racing with anxious and happiness. Happy that their daughter had finally returned. Happy that they would be able to see her again. Once more. Happy that she would finally live with them.

As how it should have been.

But she was also anxious since she didn't know if their daughter would welcome them as her real parents. It had been too long, the Queen admits so it'll take some time for her to accept them and the Queen was okay with it.

At last, the Queen arrived at the entrance where she practically flung the French doors wide open; her heart racing furiously.

There, upon hearing the doors being opened, Rapunzel slowly turned around only to see two people who stared at her with wide eyes. The Queen didn't even notice that there were several people behind Rapunzel. None of them spoke but the Queen made her move as she slowly came to her.

To her baby girl.

Only she wasn't a baby but rather a full grown woman.

The Queen didn't mind that she suddenly had short dark brown hair or that her dress was dirty. She just wanted her daughter.

The Queen placed her hand on Rapunzel's cheek and then, the two shared a moment as the real mother gave her a tight hug, feeling overjoyed that her daughter was home at last.

Upon hearing the return of the lost princess, the whole city went berserk as they were cheering loudly than they ever had before, celebrating. Everything had been returned to normal.

Flynn was received an enormous gesture from the King and Queen who were profusely thanking him until Flynn mentioned that it wasn't just him. He motioned to Sora and his friends but Sora shrugged it off, telling him that he was fine with it.

After all, if anything, Flynn deserved this.

"So…now what?" Goofy asked as they were slightly withdrawn from the large crowd but even to where they were, the crowd was still there, surrounding them.

Sora shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we go out to a new world…like before…" he said, turning around as he gazed up at the clear blue sky that was filled with hundreds and hundreds of the floating lanterns.

"Do we really have to?" Kairi asked. "I almost…feel…home at here…"

Sora gave a small smile. "But we're heroes, Kairi. We help the people, save them and in the end, we defeat the ultimate enemy that had been causing us and everyone else so much problems."

Kairi sighed. "It's just a long stretch hope though…" she replied before she noticed Flynn and Rapunzel walking towards them. She tapped Sora on his shoulder and he turned around to see the two.

"Quite a party, huh?" Flynn asked, earning nods.

"Yeah, no kidding," Sora grinned.

Despite the loud cheers and the music, silence fell between the groups as none of them spoke.

"So now what?" Rapunzel broke the silence. "What's in store for you guys?"

Sora stared down with a saddened look, placing his arms over his chest. "Now…now we go to a new world…to help other people. We must never allow the worlds to fall into darkness."

Rapunzel looked at him, upset. "Is…is this really goodbye then? We won't ever see you again?"

Sora looked up, flashing her a playful grin. "Hey, don't say that. Just because we're going away, it doesn't mean we won't come back. Remember, we're always here…inside your hearts," Sora said as he placed his hand on his chest.

Rapunzel nodded, smiling until she roughly grabbed Sora, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

Sora sighed as he stared down on the floor of the ship. By the time, the group got here, Chip and Dale had fixed the ship and was working perfectly. He closed his eyes, placing his hand on his chest though he winced a bit. He bit his lip as he remembered how Cruella tortured him in order to awaken the power that was apparently hidden inside him but it proved to be futile.

But that didn't stop him from wondering if he actually had that power of which Cruella was talking about.

"You okay?" Kairi asked, snapping Sora from his thoughts.

"Hmm…? Oh, yeah. Lost in thought," Sora said. He gave a glance at Riku who resumed sulking since Donald had won over a small contest and he was now the Captain of the ship.

Scowling, Riku looked up only to see Sora looking at him though Sora flashed him a small smile.

"What's up? You look like you need something to get off your chest," Riku pointed it out.

Sora slightly winced. He still needed to tell them about Cruella and how she was here. Taking a breath, Sora spoke.

"Listen…" he started. "When I was at the prison for being wrongly accused, I met someone there…it was Cruella."

Everyone widened their eyes from shock.

"What?" Riku shouted. "Cruella's here? Why?"

"During my time as a prisoner, she mentioned to me something about the power. The one where King Mickey told us about. For a brief moment, she used her dark magic on me in hopes to retrieve the power but it was futile since I didn't had it apparently. Either that or it was still in deep slumber."

"Gawrsh then we better find those lost pages before she does," Goofy said. "Who knows what will happen if Cruella finds them. We can't let her get to it."

Riku nodded. "Goofy's right. We have to get it before she does."

Sora agreed. "Yes or otherwise, everything we had fought for…it'll be for nothing."

* * *

In a dark room where a dim light had shone from an orb, two green eyes were visible from the shadows.

"So…it appears that they had made out alive on this one," the sinister voice replied. The orb which showed the image of Sora and his friends died down, revealing nothing but blank.

The figure turned around, going away from the orb; the green eyes still gleaming brightly. "No matter…I'll make sure that their next trip won't be so friendly…"

 **Author's Note: **Whoo! Tangled is done! Huzzah! (And finally XD ) but this is also where I'm going to leave it off just because I gotta update my newest Spider Man story—I know, so many stories—but until then, feel free to guess what the next world is. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	15. A Destined Fate

Chapter 13: A Destined Fate

After Sora left the group with an ominous note, they all decided to go back to Traverse Town to stock up some supplies while also catching up with Leon and the others. Well that is if they are still here. It's been far too long. They hadn't seen them in forever. The last time they saw them, Leon and his group were at Hollow Bastion. Otherwise known as Radiant Garden.

As the ship landed, everyone got out as they all stretched their backs after sitting for so long. Sora looked up at the night sky. The stars were glittering, being scattered across the night sky as though they were lighting up a path for Sora to follow.

He feel at ease for the first time and a small windy night breeze came along. He wanted to stay out for a while before they had to move on to the next world…wherever that is but Sora can be sure it would be a long ride.

Just as the one with Rapunzel.

Thinking about Rapunzel and what she had been through got Sora to think how she was doing now. He was sure there would be a marriage and Flynn—or Eugene—had changed his ways and was now a prince at least.

"Hey guys," Sora called out.

The group stopped walking as they turned around to face Sora who was left behind.

"I'm going to stay outside for a while. Wait for me back at the ship when you're all finished," Sora replied as he turned to the other side and began to run only to stop. "Oh and say hi to Leon and the others for me, hmm?"

And then, Sora took off, heading to the opposite direction.

"What do you think Sora is going to do?" Goofy questioned.

Riku sighed. "I don't know but you can bet that something bad will happen to him and then we'll have to save his ass again…"

Kairi shook her head, amused. "That Sora sure knows how to attract trouble…"

Sora reached at the East district but he was surprised that no Heartless came up like how they normally would. Even if they showed up, Sora would still beat the crap out of them.

He sighed as he placed his hand on the wall, lowering his head down as he rested a bit.

Even if he didn't had his Keyblade yet. Which made him wonder if his would ever show up...He was glad that Riku's Keyblade appeared, meaning that they still had some ways to defend themselves.

He was still surprised that Kairi even had a Keyblade...and he's still getting use to it.

"...he would be here, trust me," a voice said, snapping Sora out of his thoughts.

 _Huh?_

Sora looked up as he glanced at the path that was across from him.

"Who...?"

Sora cautiously walked towards the alley entrance before having his back, lean against the wall. He slightly peered from his hiding spot, trying to find the source of the voice from the dark.

That voice was awfully familiar...

But the next one, he couldn't recognize it.

"How do you know for sure?" the second voice asked. "Do you have some kind of a GPS tracker on him?" it felt as though the new voice made a sneer.

"No, you fool. I can sense his presence," the first voice hissed. "Listen well. You must carry out this plan and when the time is right, you'll attack them. But for now pretend her to be her...my! You even look like her..."

Thr second person rolled her eyes. "No way! Not even close! If anything, I'm more fabulous than her. Now...about those pages...? You kept talking as if they are source life or something."

"They're not," the first figure growled. "But it is essential that you collect them. For each page, they contain a clue where without them, the power which we seek will not present itself. Once the pages are found and complete, a book will be emerged and within the book contains the spell that would allow the user to use the power to its heart content. However, if it uses too much, the user will die."

The second figure made a knowing look. "Wait a second...if you plan to use the power from the book...wouldn't you die?"

"You underestimate me, my child. Now, go! Go with the task I provided you. Make me proud!"

With that, the main shadow waved her hand around so that the other person disappeared in a puff of smoke.

However, as the person vanished, the main character stopped in its track as it gave a glance of the entrance of the alley.

Gasping, Sora pulled himself away while hoping that the person hadn't seen him.

"You're far too reckless for your own good..."

Sora gasped as he jumped to the side from the unexpected voice. However, he widened his eyes when he saw who it was.

"Cruella!" he cried out, instantly getting into a fighting stance.

Cruella rolled her eyes. "Please, don't waste your energy. You and I both know you're nothing without the Keyblade."

Sora narrowed his eyes. "That's not true!"

"Ha! Believe what you want, kid. I'm only telling you the truth. I'm only sparing you from your humility. If you want to be embarrassed then fine. Be my guest."

Sora growled before he started to run towards her. Sighing, without so much of an effort, Cruella lazily flickered her hand and Sora was frozen in his spot.

"Hey...what the—?"

Cruella walked towards him and placed her bony hand on his forehead.

"What...what are you...doing to me?" he gritted his teeth as he felt woozy.

A small evil grin etched on her lips. "I'm making you forget about a few mins ago so that you won't know what my plan was..."

"When I get my memories back, I'll make you pay."

Cruella rolled her eyes. "Whoever said anything about taking your memories away? Although...that _is_ a good idea..." a mad gleam twinkled in her eyes.

A wave of red washed over Sora and whatever he had learned about Cruella's plan vanished. He only remembered his own thoughts before he witnessed Cruella.

"Hear me out," Cruella spoke menacingly. "Do not cross me again. The next time we do meet, it won't be lightly."

With that, dark red flames covered her until she vanished. The spell that was on Sora disappeared and he nearly fell down to the ground but caught himself in time.

He blinked, staring at the alley entrance with a hard stare.

Why was he doing here...?

He only remembered how he was lost in thoughts and then nothing.

 _Strange,_ he thought as he continued to stare at the alley before he shrugged. _Ah, it must be nothing._

He tore his gaze away and looked at the other side.

 _My friends are probably waiting._

He began to run but then stopped, giving a one last uneasy glance at the alleyway until he resumed running.

* * *

"There you are," Riku announced, shaking his head.

"Sorry," Sora muttered.

"Well come on. Chip and Dale told us that a new pathway has opened, ready to go to the next world," Kairi said excitedly.

"I'm coming. I'm coming..." Sora grinned.

While everyone climbed into the ship, Kairi paused at the step and she turned around, staring ahead.

Eyes narrowed, Kairi spoke.

"Hey uhm...I'll be right back. I forgot to pack something."

"Aww come on!"

Kairi ignored Riku's complain as she took off in the direction she wanted to go. She slowed to a walk once she was away from the ship.

"Uhm...hello?" Kairi called out. "Anyone here?"

She continued to walk further down the path until a voice spoke.

"Foolish girl. Hasn't anyone taught not to go alone? Especially since you can't fight back?" the cackling voice replied.

Kairi narrowed her eyes, going into a fighting stance.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!"

Out of the shadows, a figure emerged which made Kairi widened her eyes.

"Who are you?" Kairi asked.

"No one importance to you..." she paused. "Well, actually...never mind. Don't worry, dear. I'll make this as painless as possible. You won't even feel a thing!"

"Stay back!"

The figure paused. "Hmm...nope."

And then, she stuck her hand out, releasing an icy streak. Kairi gasped as she placed her hands in from of her face but the protection was useless. She ended being frozen in a medium icicle, being trapped in there.

"I couldn't make a better sculpture myself..." the figure grinned as she walked towards the icicle so that her reflection appeared on it.

What made it shocking was the fact that the figure looked exactly like Kairi.

"Don't worry, dear. I promise to take care of your body. As for your friends?" she let out a laugh before having her nails scratch at the icy icicle. "It'll be too late for them..."

* * *

"Kairi! Where are you? Kairi!" Sora shouted.

"What's taking her so long?" Riku asked worriedly.

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out," Sora spoke.

He was about to go but Donald stopped him.

"Hold on. She's coming."

There was Kairi running towards them which made Sora ease up a little.

"There you are!" Riku exclaimed. "No more running off to, alright?'

Kairi let out a breath. "Sorry, Sora."

"Eh?!" Riku shouted with wide eyes. Sora and Riku turned to face each other.

"I'm Sora, Kairi!" Sora exclaimed.

"Yeah. I'm Riku. There's no way that I'm the pea pint-sized human who we call Sora."

"Hey! I defeat you, you know!"

"Sure you can."

Sora growled.

"Ah, right. Riku. Sorry," Kairi laughed nervously.

Kairi walked into the ship followed by Sora and Riku though Sora grinned as he spoke.

"But that didn't stop Roxas from defeating you," Sora smirked. "Oh Mighty Ansem," he drawled.

Riku quirked an eyebrow. "Beginner's luck."

"Uh huh."

"Alright! Everyone on board? Good. Buckle up your seatbelt. This one is going to be a one wild ride!" Donald exclaimed as the ship took off.

 **Author's Note: **That indeed. I'm a sucker; I can't bring myself to tear away from Kingdom Hearts ;-; but ooohh things are getting heated for the group now! And congrats 'Kairi' for mistaking Riku as Sora XD and right there, they should've put two and two…oh well. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	16. On Stranger's Tide

Chapter 14: On Stranger's Tide

Riku stared at the floor before he turned his gaze away, staring at Kairi whose back was facing him. He frowned as he couldn't help but to feel that there was something odd about her. Such as the fact where she had mistakenly called him Sora. They had been friends since forever; always sticking by each other no matter what. So how can she mistake his name? If she was tired, then that's understandable but otherwise…it's a different case.

He then glanced at Sora who read the map excitedly. No matter what the situation is, Sora's always happy, ready to travel to new Worlds even though he won't know what will happen once they arrive.

No one does.

Riku scoffed.

They landed on the land without any damage to the ship which earned a wide grin from Donald as he rubbed it in on how his flying skills were better than Riku's. Once they got out of the ship, they greeted by lots of trees and endless paths from all directions. One thing's for sure which was they were located deep in the forest.

"Erm…where are we?" Sora asked.

"In a forest," Riku answered, bluntly.

"No, really? I thought we weren't," Sora replied sarcastically.

Goofy stared ahead through the thickness of the forest. "I think we should head straight. Maybe we can find someone there," he suggested.

"It's a long shot but we can try," Donald replied and the group started to walk though Kairi was slightly left behind.

Being aware, Riku stopped and he turned around to see Kairi staring at the ground almost as though she was…insecure? Frowning, Riku called out.

"Kairi? You coming?"

Blinking, Kairi lifted her head up and saw Riku looking at her. "Uhm, yeah. Yeah, I'm coming."

When she ran past by Riku, he suddenly gave a sharp gasp as a harsh flashback came into his mind but it was blurry and unclear. He stumbled backwards, watching Kairi with wide eyes.

Hesitant, Riku rejoined the group and they were walking down the path that would lead them to who knows where.

It was after a little over two hours of aimlessly walking where Donald muttered grumpily under his breath.

"Guys, I don't think we're going anywhere," Donald grumbled. "We've been walking for hours and found nothing…"

"Well, maybe if we continue to walk just a bit further, we might find a like a cottage house or something," Goofy spoke which made Donald raise an eyebrow.

"Where'd you hear that from?"

"Snow White."

Donald sighed.

"Maybe we should call out to let people know we're here?" Riku suggested. "What about you, Sora?" he raised an eyebrow. "Sora?!"

Sora blinked, slightly jumped from being startled. "What?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "Daydreaming, are you?" he grinned slyly. "I bet you're daydreaming about your girlfriend…" he sang song.

Sora widened his eyes as he took a brief glance at Kairi who awkwardly glanced at him.

"What!?" he cried out, suddenly being panicked. "KAIRI'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

Kairi gasped, eyes wide which made Sora cringe as he placed his hand behind his neck.

"Uhm…that's not what I meant…" Sora laughed nervously.

"Then what did you meant?" Kairi asked angrily. "Am I not a girl? Am I not your _friend_?!"

Sora winced, realizing what kind of situation he was in and it was all because of Riku who cackled evilly.

"Of course, you're my friend!" Sora stuttered, feeling at a loss on how to explain. Whatever Kairi was thinking, he hoped that Sora could help her go on a different case. While Sora was stumbling over his words, Goofy looked to the side only to widen his eyes.

"Uh oh, I think we're in trouble," Goofy announced.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked quickly, changing the subject. He was relieved for Goofy to bring that up but at the same time, Sora wasn't.

The group turned around only to find themselves surrounded with Indians as they all pointed their weapons at them.

"Oh, boy…" Donald said.

"Do not move," a growling voice said. The person who spoke stepped up threateningly and by the looks of it, he seemed to be the leader of the group. Sora studied his appearance. He wasn't that bad looking. He was slender, muscular and had tan skin while having a black mow-hawked hair with a white feather on the back of his head. His dark brown eyes narrowed dangerously and a loincloth was around his waist while he was being barefoot.

It seemed like everyone else was barefoot and had nearly the same clothing as this guy.

"Hey, easy," Sora spoke, putting his hands up. "We come with no harm."

"Take it up to the, Chief. You're coming with us."

* * *

Up above, where a cliff was being up high, a tall proud woman was standing on top of it, gazing out at the beautiful sunset view with the sky being splashed with tints of purple, blue, yellow and a bit of red. A small breeze, blowing her long raven-black haired.

She seemed to be quite an independent woman even if she did like to run off sometimes to be lost in her own thoughts, mainly. The woman had tan skin with twinkling dark brown eyes. She has a tall, slender figure with broad shoulders and narrow hips and was barefoot. On her right arm there was a red tattoo that was around her bicep while she wore a one-shoulder dress that was up to her knees, having a brown band around her waist.

"Pocahontas!" a loud voice called, snapping her out of her thoughts.

The woman looked down and there, down below, on the large river was a boat with a person on it, waving her arms at her.

"Your father's back! Come down here!"

Gasping, Pocahontas grinned with joy as she took off to the opposite direction where she ran past by a racoon who seemed to be enjoying himself by eating berries. Beside him, was a small hummingbird who appeared to be annoyed by the racoon and his laziness.

"He's back, Flit!" Pocahontas exclaimed as she rushed down the path, earning the two animals' attention.

However, when she stopped halfway of the path, she suddenly got an idea since she grinned, having a smile escape her lips. Grinning, Pocahontas walked back a little before she ran back to the way she came from. When she got near to the end of the cliff, her friend widened her eyes as she saw what Pocahontas was about to do.

"No! Not that way!" she exclaimed.

But her shout was futile since Pocahontas was already jumping off the cliff as she did a perfect dive, splashing into the water with a flawless form.

Her friend rolled her eyes. "Show off."

Not too shortly, Pocahontas' friends, Flit and the racoon, came by though the racoon jumped off from the cliff, the way how Pocahontas did. But the minute, he came halfway, he suddenly freaked out and grabbed the furious hummingbird) who was chirping at him) since that was the closest thing to him for reassurance but it was futile since he kept falling and then, he splashed at the water.

"Pocahontas?" her friend called out, peering down the clear water. "Are you alright? You'd better be alright," she huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Because I'm not coming in after you—"

She suddenly shrieked when the canoe unexpectedly tipped itself over, letting the woman fall overboard. She swam up to the surface, grabbing some air as she coughed out water. Pocahontas joined shortly since her half of her face was seen, grinning slyly at her.

"Don't you think we're too old for these games?" she spoke.

As a result, Pocahontas sprouted out water, splashing it at her friend's face and the two of them were found shrieking and giggling as they were splashing water at each other. Deciding that they had enough, Pocahontas's friend stopped to catch her breath before she responded.

"Help me turn this thing over," she said and after the turning, the two climbed into the canoe and Pocahontas grabbed a fistful of her hair, squeezing out the water.

"What were you doing out there?" she asked.

"Thinking," Pocahontas answered before she got wet again by the racoon who shook itself in order to dry himself. "Meeko!"

"About that dream again?" Nakoma asked. "Have you figured it out yet?"

Pocahontas shook her head. "I know it means something. I just don't know what."

"You should ask your father about it," Nakoma suggested.

"Maybe I should," Pocahontas agreed before she got interrupted by Meeko's purring which indicated that something was wrong.

Meeko motioned his head at the back of the canoe where Pocahontas followed his gaze.

"Come on, Flit!" she said, pulling the bloated hummingbird out of the water. "Quit playing around. We have to get back," she said as Meeko pressed his paw on Flit's stomach, having Flit sprout out the water like a fountain.

As Nakoma rowed, she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh that reminds me, apparently we got visitors," she said.

This made Pocahontas be curious. "Visitors?"

"Yeah. No one knows where they came from. They keep telling them that they mean no harm. Kocoum found them wandering around the forest. Apparently, they were lost…"

Upon hearing the name Kocoum, Pocahontas slightly scowled. "Hmm…"

"What? You don't like Kocoum or something?"

"I just don't like how he jumps into conclusions. He almost never listens to other peoples' opinions. What if these new visitors really mean no harm?"

Nakoma shrugged. "I guess we'll have to see when we get there."

* * *

Sora looked around as he studied the crowd. They were a group of Indians, all wearing different outfits. In all honesty, he was a bit uneasy as the glaring eyes were all on them. Sora grunted as he tried to make his tied hands comfortable since they were starting to fall asleep.

"So…any plans on how to get out of here?" Riku whispered.

"If I did, I would already make it happen but since I don't have one, we aren't moving anywhere," Sora grumbled. He shot a look at Kairi who caught his glance before giving him a cold shoulder.

He still has that small problem…

"My good people," the person (the one who captured them) announced. "We have been trespassed by intruders who may wishes to harm us."

Sora growled as he called out. "We do not mean any harm!"

"Sora," Riku hissed.

"Listen, you swine!" the Indian snarled. "To keep us safe, to keep us from being harmed, we will perform the only course of action which is to kill them."

"HUH?!" the group exclaimed.

"You will do not do such a thing, Kocoum!" a strong voice of power came. The crowd murmured and the person, Kocoum, paid his respect before he spoke.

"But—"

"No," the person said firmly.

Sora took this time to look at the newcomer.

By the looks of it, Sora assumed that he was the leader. The Head of all these people. Like with the other leader (the one who captured them), he was also slender with a muscular body. He also had black mow-hawk hair with a tan skin while wearing a feathered headdress on his hand. Draping over his shoulders was a cape but Sora couldn't tell what material it was made from. At his side was a staff where he seemed to be almost constantly lean against as though it was for support.

As he came, Sora was sort of relieved that there was someone on their side but at the same time, he wasn't sure what would happen next.

The Head stared down at them with Sora gazing right into his eyes as though it was a challenge to see who would blink first. This amused the Chief since a tiny smile escaped his lips but it quickly vanished.

"We should give them a chance. To hear out their stories. To hear out why they had come here."

"What's going on, Father?"

The Father turned around and saw the raven-black haired woman coming up to him. The smile was returned but this one was bigger as he was happy to see that his daughter came.

"My daughter," the Chief announced.

The daughter smiled. "Winggapo, Father."

"Seeing you gives me great joy!" he smiled as he embraced her hug. "We have visitors where we do not know where they came from."

The woman tore her hug away as she looked down upon the group. She eyed the ropes that were tied at their hands which made her sigh. She walked towards the group only to be stopped by Kocoum.

"Pocahontas—"he murmured.

Pocahontas slightly narrowed her eyes as she shoved his hand away. "I know what I'm doing. They do not look like they want to hurt us. They can explain. We owe them that much."

Kocoum stared into her eyes before he sighed, nodding a little. "Very well."

The woman lowered his hand down and she walked towards Sora who fixed his eyes on her, not even blinking them as the woman kneeled down so that she could be at the same level.

"My name is Pocahontas. If you mean what you say then perhaps you could give us your side of your story? Who are you? Why did you came here?"

To be honest, Sora felt a bit intimidated from the proud fierce eyes this woman was giving him. He took a breath before he spoke.

"My name is Sora. We are…" he paused, trying to explain. "Travellers," he gave a one last sweep across the crowd.

They didn't seem to be too advanced and for that Sora has to choose his words carefully.

"We came here by a boat—"he ignored the looks from his friends. "And we came here to erm…to look for something that would help us in our journey," he paused. "You haven't seen any bunch of pages of books lying around, have you?"

Riku groaned quietly before he nudged Sora painfully in the ribs. However, Pocahontas merely gave him a strange look. She was starting to believe in him until he mentioned about papers.

"Uhm, no, I haven't," Pocahontas spoke. "You're strange…"

Sora gaped at her with a stun look as Riku let out a shaky laugh. She then stood up and looked at her father, giving a nod.

"These people mean no harm, Father. They're just…lost, I assume."

The Chief stared at her eyes before he replied. "Very well. From here, we'll release these newcomers and will aid them. Until then, treat them with kindness. Treat them as though they are one of us…"

With that, Sora felt the ropes being loosened and he rubbed his wrists from the tightness. He got up and paid his respect.

"Thank you, erm…uhm…"

"Call me Chief Powhatan," the Head of the tribe answered. "And we welcome you to our tribe," he then turned his attention to Pocahontas, smiling. "Come, daughter of mine. We have much to discuss."

Grinning, Pocahontas made a small sprint and nuzzled against him as the two walked away.

"Are you crazy?" Riku hissed once they were released. "A boat? We don't even have a freakin boat!"

"What do you want me to say? We have a ship? Look, I don't know about you but these people don't seem to have high technology. I'm not even sure if they know what a ship and in order to get around, they look like have boats."

Riku shook his head. "I hope you know what you're doing because when they find out the real truth, things are going to be ugly."

Sora was about to talk until he looked up only to have his eyes stare at the man who had captured them. He gave them a suspicious look at Sora before he gave a small scoff and turned away.

 **Author's Note:** Yeap. Pocahontas is the next world! Whoo hoo! And I bet you all thought it was Pirates of the Caribbean XD as I'm typing this, I'm listening to Sora's theme song. It's funny and sad. Almost everyone's theme song is sad and then there's Sora, saying YEAH ADVENTURE! Crazy little nutball, you! But really, Sora's so adorable 3 And of course, I can't forget about Meeko and Flit; they're adorkable ^^ What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	17. Grandmother Willow

**Shout Outs:** Thanks to Shiranai Atsune for following the story.

* * *

Chapter 15: Grandmother Willow

The group walked in silent. After Pocahontas talked to her dad, she summoned the group to follow her since she wanted them to meet someone very important. Someone who had been by her side since.

"So…I know you had said Travellers but where are you from exactly? Or do you not have a home?" Pocahontas asked, breaking the silence.

"Uhm…" Sora winced. "We do…it's…far away on the opposite side but uhm…at times, we kind of go where our heart takes us."

"So I see."

Pocahontas went back to being silent, registering Sora's words. Sora glanced back at Pocahontas, studying her. After all, she was quite different than Rapunzel but maybe the thing that caught his attention was the necklace that was around her neck. It was a turquoise color with a white diamond-shape jewel.

"I like your necklace," Sora complimented.

Pocahontas gave him a small smile as she wrapped her hand around it. "Thank you. It's the only thing I have from my mother."

"You don't have a mom?"

She shook her head. "No. She died when I was little."

Sora made a crest-fallen face. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I guess, in some ways, it taught me how to be strong," Pocahontas reached at the shoreline of the river, staring at it before she turned around to the group.

"The person who I want you to meet is just down this river…" she replied as she came to a stop. She then turned around to face the group. "You said that you own a ship," a small grin came. "Can you row a canoe?"

"Huh?"

Laughing, Pocahontas ran towards her canoe, pushing it towards the water. She then climbed on it, waving her hand at them.

"Come on!"

Grinning, Sora jumped as he headed towards the other canoe, pushing it until he climbed on it. He turned around, motioning the others to come.

"Come on, guys!" he shouted.

Riku smirked. "Race ya there!" chuckling, he also pushed the last canoe to the water before the rest of the group joined. Donald was with Sora while Kairi was with Riku and Goofy was with Pocahontas.

"Everyone in?" Pocahontas called out.

There were shouts of 'yes!' before Pocahontas got out her paddle and then rowed down the river.

Riku followed shortly. "Hey," he replied to Sora. "Last one to reach the end is an old Sturgeon!" he exclaimed before paddling forward.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Sora cried out before he rowed faster. Pocahontas chuckled as she was between them.

"You know, even though I had known you for the shortest time, I can sense that you two are great friends. Even if things is a competition for you," Pocahontas spoke.

Riku grinned, placing his hands behind his neck after he brought in the paddle. "Yeah, I guess you're right…" he paused. "Even if Sora is annoying sometimes."

"Hey! Now, you're really in it!" Sora grinned wider and then paddled at full speed.

"Wait a minute! Now look who's cheating!" Riku exclaimed.

"Still you!" Sora called out. "Come on, Donald. Let's show them!"

"Right on, Sora!"

The two put all their strength into it as the river got harder for them to navigate. Donald looked back only to see Riku and Kairi who were slightly catching up to them.

"They're gaining on us!"

Sora grinned, slyly. He then narrowed his eyes with determine as he saw what was ahead of them.

"Don't worry. If they really want to win that badly then they shouldn't have no problem into chasing us," Sora smirked. "Grab onto your hat and feathers, Donald. Things are going to get a bit rough."

"Grab my what—AUGH!" Donald screamed as he saw a furious waterfall just ahead and it looked like it would lead them to a deathtrap. Eyes flashing with determined, Sora kept on paddling while Donald grabbed onto the edge of the canoe tightly.

"Where are they going?" Kairi asked, being a bit worried.

Riku looked up only to widen his eyes. "They're heading straight for the waterfall! Sora, turn back!"

Growling, Riku rowed rapidly in hopes of catching up to him. As they reached the end, Sora prepared himself as he felt the canoe dropping almost without a warning while Donald was still screaming, not liking this at all. What it seemed forever, the drop had finally splashed itself upon the surface, wetting Sora and Donald from head to toe.

Sora laughed, a good hearted one as he hadn't enjoyed that feeling in a long time. It was a genuine laugh with a smile to boot.

"So…Donald…" Sora panted and he turned around only to meet with an angry glare.

"YOU CRAZY FOOL! WE COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!" Donald yelled furiously.

However, just looking at his face made Sora laugh even harder.

"Go ahead and laugh but the next time you do something foolish and stupid, I'm not risking my life to save you!" Donald grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Aww, come on, Donald. Loosen up a little."

"Humph."

"Sora, you crazy fool!" another voice exclaimed. Riku appeared to be out of breath and he let the canoe flow by itself, catching up to Sora. "You seriously have a death wish, don't you?"

Sora sighed as he gazed up the clear cloudless sky. The weather just seemed perfect and it was almost hard to believe that there could be evil lingering around here. Yet again, Sora didn't want to make assumptions only to be proven wrong. If he really wanted to know what was wrong here, then he would have to let the story flow.

Flow but not meddle with it.

As Riku's canoe slightly passed by him, Sora glanced at Kairi who seemed to be in thought which made Sora wonder what she was thinking.

"Hey Kairi."

The soft voice made her snap out of her thoughts. "Hmm?" she turned around only to see Sora's silly grin but she frowned, giving a small _hmph_ and ignored him.

"Kairi, listen. I'm really sorry about what happened. I had no idea Riku would even say such a thing—he can be a thick head sometimes—"

"I'm right here, you know…"

"—so it caught me off guard, surprised me even. I never really meant any harm. Of course, you're my friend and you will always be. Nothing's ever going to change that," Sora spoke as he hoped it would change Kairi's heart into forgiving him.

Kairi looked at the side, staring at Sora into his eyes.

"For apologizing, you got guts but for hurting, it's a different story. I'm still hurt," Kairi replied before she grabbed her paddle. "Let's go, Riku."

Riku gave a sympathetic look to Sora before he rowed their canoe away. Sora sighed, suddenly feeling upset. And the adrenaline rush he once had plummeted down in a flash. Sensing the sadness, Donald responded.

"Come on, Sora. Cheer up. She'll talk to you again. You'll see," he said as he tried to cheer him up.

"Thanks," Sora replied glumly.

After paddling some more, they finally caught up with Pocahontas who smiled at them.

"You finally came here. Everyone enjoyed the waterfall?" she asked.

Only one nod came which was from Sora while everyone else shook their heads and this made Pocahontas laugh.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

Goofy looked up and saw that the river was now divided into two paths; one was wide while the other one was steep and narrow.

"Um…which way do we go now, Pocahontas?" Goofy asked.

Pocahontas smiled but before she chose the path, she looked at the water where she saw her reflection and in front of her, the image of Kocoum showed up, extending his hand as though he was telling her to accept his hand for marriage. Upset, Pocahontas turned away as well as the image of Kocoum. She shook her head, trying to get it out of her mind before she chose to the right.

"It's this way. We're almost there," she said.

* * *

Far away, a great big ship with white flags standing proudly was flowing the river. At the ship, there were men with each of them being at a different posts, doing their daily chores.

"The New World. Can you imagine yourself settling here?" a man asked.

Beside him was a handsome fellow with blonde hair, pale skin and a slender figure along with a muscular body. He wore a blue conquistador uniform with a satchel over himself.

He also wore grey blue boots as his piercing blue eyes gazed up ahead, being lost in thoughts until his friend talked to him.

"Hmm...in all honesty, I don't know but it could be a great experience," the man said.

"I guess you're right, John."

John grinned. "Of course I am, Thomas," he laughed which made Thomas roll his eyes in a playful manner.

Thomas was rather a nice looking fellow too. With short red hair that was covered by his grey felt-like cap. He was also slender but he wasn't that muscular compare to John.

He wore a grey long sleeved shirt that may be a bit too big on him and brown pants with brown boots.

"Enough gawking! Time to go to work!" a horrible voice snapped.

The two men turned around to see a chubby man with a nasty look and narrowed eyes. He wore a rose-colored long sleeved shirt with a long V-cut neckline underneath a magenta coat followed by a lavender collar and cuffs with black linings on the chest and waistline.

He also wore a magenta colonial hat with a blue feather on its black ban along with a turquoise medallion resting around his neck to top his sophisticated look. He also had magenta knee-length paths, lavender calf-high socks with black colonial boots and a red cape.

He had long black hair that was tied up into short pigtails which contained red ribbons and a mustache followed by his black unnerving eyes.

Even though he had a higher position, no one really liked him. He, in general, was just a nasty person who expected to have everyone work for him.

"Sorry Ratcliffe. I don't take orders from you. I'm a Captain," John replied boldly.

Ratcliffe made a small _humph_ before he glared at Thomas who rolled his eyes.

"I take the hint. Keep your words to yourself," he muttered before he walked away.

John stared at his friend who disappeared from sight before his gaze went back to Ratcliffe.

"You should at least try to give him respect. He's a hardworking man—better than anyone."

"They all will get in my way and you best not let your emotions cloud your judgment."

John sighed and he gazed out at the view once more.

"You really think we're going to find gold?"

A horrible grin escaped his lips. "Of course! Once we do, we would be lying in riches!"

John laughed a little. "We or _you_?"

Ratcliffe scowled before he shouted. "Drop the anchors!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

"Is that my Pocahontas?" an elderly voice spoke as she sensed the beat of someone's feet.

"Grandmother Willow!" Pocahontas said, walking towards her before she went on her knees once she got to the front.

Sora looked around, trying to find the source of the new voice. When he didn't found it, he shrugged.

"I can't find the person except for the old tree and us."

Pocahontas gave him an amused smile.

"That's because I'm the one who you seek, young one."

And there, in front of the tree, a face began to evolve, showing an image of an elderly grandma. Sora widened his eyes at the change, suddenly being uncomfortable.

"And I am not that old. Only four hundred years old at most," sensing the uneasiness, she resumed. "You can relax dear. You are safe here and I know seeing a talking tree can be a bit unnerving but you will get use to it."

Knowing that she was right, Sora relaxed a little. Willow then brought her attention to Pocahontas.

"New company, I assume?"

She nodded. "Yes. That's Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy."

There were replies of "nice to meet you" and Pocahontas introduced her as 'Grandmother Willow'. Seeing the girl, Willow gave a small smile, extending one of her branches as though it was an arm.

"My, you're a pretty girl but I sense sadness within you. You're at a war with yourself and a pretty girl like you shouldn't have one."

Kairi gasped, slightly widening her eyes a little. Could Grandmother Willow see for what she really is?

"Anyways, I need to talk to you," Pocahontas spoke, sensing the uncomfortable Kairi had.

Grandmother Willow smiled down at her. "Good morning, child. I was hoping you'd visit today," she then looked down at Pocahontas's neck which made her gasp. "Why, your mother's necklace!"

"That's what I want to talk about," Pocahontas nodded. "My father wants me to marry Kocoum."

"Kocoum? But he's so serious!" Willow responded with a knowing look.

Sora crossed his arms over chest with a confused look. "Kocoum?" he paused as he remembered the man who seemed to be staring at him after Sora finished talking with Riku. "Was that he the one who captured us?"

"Yeah," Pocahontas replied.

"Hmph. I don't think you should marry as someone who's mean as he is. You should do what you want to do—not what someone else wants you to do. Follow your heart," Sora responded.

Pocahontas raised her eyebrow. "Kocoum has good intentions but I want to marry out of love and for someone to love me for me and not be serious and who knows how to fun. I'm free-spirited, he's not. Which is why everything is so difficult," Pocahontas stressed out. "But my father thinks it's the right path for me but lately I've been having this dream, and I think it's—"

"Oh! A dream!" Willow exclaimed, grinning. "Let's hear all about it!"

Almost at once, the creatures that were surrounding the area began to chirp, twittering and squeaking all at once, making a loud rambunctious music and it was almost too much for Sora to bear. Annoyed, Grandmother Willow let out a loud commanding 'Silence!" which made the group jump with startle.

In an instant, the whole are went quiet and all they could hear was a frog who had his eyes wide, croaking before he went back to the water after Grandmother Willow gave a sharp look to it.

"Now we know not to get on her bad side," Sora whispered sheepishly to Riku who nodded.

"Now, child. What were you saying?"

"Well, I'm running through the woods, and then right there in front of me is an arrow. As I look at it, it starts to spin," Pocahontas began though this made Grandmother Willow raise an eyebrow, intrigued.

"A spinning arrow? How unusual!"

"Yes, it spins faster and faster and faster..."

As though the creatures including Meeko and Flit imagined it, they began to roll their heads around as they pretended to see the spinning arrow.

"Until, suddenly, it stops."

Dizzy, Meeko placed both of his paws at the side of his head, trying to get everything in order.

"Hmm," Grandmother Willow made a thinking look. "Well, it seems to me this spinning arrow is pointing you down your path."

"But, Grandmother Willow, what is my path?" Pocahontas replied, desperately. She wanted answers. Not assumptions. "How am I ever going to find it?"

Amused, Willow chuckled as she suddenly remembered a familiar scene from all those long ago. "Your mother asked me the very same question."

Eyes wide, Pocahontas spoke excitedly. "She did? What did you tell her?"

"I told her to listen. All around you are spirits, child. They live in the earth, the water, the sky. If you listen, they will guide you."

As Grandmother spoke, the tree branches began to swing almost in a melodic way, echoing their voices. The group gave each other a curious look as they all tried to listen the voices of the trees but it was futile. They couldn't hear anything.

"I don't hear anything," Donald spoke.

"Neither do I," Goofy confirmed.

"But I do," Pocahontas said as she got up, staring at the swaying branches. "I hear the wind…"

"Yes…" Willow whispered. "What is it telling you?"

As this was happening, all Sora could do was to give a worry look at Pocahontas as he wondered if he was losing it or if hearing the winds was actually happening. He just couldn't hear it or see it.

"I…I don't understand," Pocahontas replied.

A distanced howl was heard followed by Grandmother Willow's enchanting voice.

"Que que, na-to-ra," she chanted. "You'll understand…listen to your heart…you'll understand…"

Beautiful, swirling colored leaves swayed within the wind, circling around the group before it went to Pocahontas who seemed at ease. Poor Flit was dancing with the leaves with Meeko following his every movement.

As soon as it started, the magical moment ended, leaving Pocahontas in a sudden realization as she understood what the wind was telling her.

"It said something," Pocahontas spoke at last. "Strange clouds?" she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

Riku shot her an odd look. "What could be so strange about the clouds?"

"I…I don't know…"

She then made a bolt towards Willow and began to climb up which took the group by surprise.

"Wait, Pocahontas!" Sora shouted before he followed shortly.

"Sora!"

Pocahontas stared beyond as she studied the strange clouds that were floating from the distance. It calmed her in a way, making her feel at ease. The way how it swayed with the wind.

"What is it?" Grandmother Willow called out. "What do you see?"

As Sora joined her, Pocahontas shouted, excited.

"Clouds! Strange clouds!"

 **Author's Note:** JUST AROUND THE RIVERBEND! Look once more just around the river bend! Beyond the shore somewhere past the sea! *ahem* anyways…clouds? Or a _ship_? ^^ Welp, we finally got a glimpse of none other than John Smith himself followed by Thomas and Ratcliffe! What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	18. New Voyagers

**Shout Outs:** Thanks 12mabold for following the story.

* * *

Chapter 16: New Voyagers

He joined Pocahontas at the top of the tree only to stare ahead. There seemed to be white 'clouds' floating above but Sora took a deeper look and noticed that they were attached to something. It took a while for him to know what it was but he shouted out.

"That's a ship!" Sora cried out.

Pocahontas widened her eyes. "A ship? Kind of like yours?"

"Uhm…kind of."

Grinning, Pocahontas slid down the bark though Sora looked down as he followed her as well.

"Pocahontas, wait up!" Sora cried out.

"I've got to see more of the ship as you would call it!" Pocahontas called out, excitedly.

As Sora ran, Grandmother Willow called out which made Sora stop in his tracks while the rest took off.

"Be careful out there!" she shouted. "You do not know who these are and they may hurt you in the process. You must be careful as to who you trust…"

Sora gave out a small gasp as he turned around, staring at Grandmother Willow. "What do you mean?"

"I sense trouble among your group," she warned. "An ominous cloud will come to you. There'll be rough obstacles but only you can conquer them. Be careful to who you trust, Sora. There'll be some who will pretend to be who they are not…"

Giving an uneasy feeling, Sora gave a small glance at her before he took off, wanting nothing more than to get out of here.

* * *

Deep in the woods, a puff of dark red smoke appeared and a figure emerged out of it. Cruella inhaled a breath before she let it out and a cruel smile etched onto her lips.

Her wicked eyes scanned the forest, instantly having a dislike of it.

Hmph. So primitive. Even this land.

Before she could do anything else, she widened her eyes when she heard a voice calling out. Curious, she slithered in a deathly way before hiding herself behind a tree. She peeked out of her hiding spot only to widen her eyes as she saw it was.

It was Sora who was panting while resting his hand on a tree as his other hand was on his knees. He tried to catch his breath though he looked like he was concerned about something. Cruella growled. That fool was being more of a nuisance. She should've killed him back when he was in jail but she didn't.

If she stay hidden, maybe he wouldn't know that she was here and to ruin her plans.

Unknown to Sora, he stared at the ground with a thinking look.

" _There'll be some who will pretend to be who they are not…"_

What could that possibly mean? Was there a traitor among their group?

Growling, he took off to find his friends. Wherever they were…but before he could fully get away, he suddenly halted in his tracks, letting out a small gasp.

"What?"

There, in front of him, strange beings with skeletal bodies began to materialize out of nowhere and they had no face at all. Upon seeing this, Cruella grinned evilly. This is interesting. She was interested to see how the young one would fight. If she remembered correctly, he wouldn't have his Keyblade still.

Sora slightly tensed as he started to walk backwards but he found out he was surrounded.

 _Great. Just great._

Without wasting a second, one of the enemies lunge at him and he widened his eyes before he narrowed them since he ducked down which allowed the creature go over him and collided with the others. He grinned.

 _Ha. Still amazing as ever. Even without the Keyblade._

Smirking, Sora grabbed the fiend's arm when he lunged at Sora and he twirled it around, throwing it back at the others. When there was enough for an opening, Sora did a run and then he jumped sideways so that he used his feet, pushing the fiend back so that the enemy slammed its back against a tree, disappearing into a puff of smoke.

Sora then did a kick across the feet before he went down, sweeping off the creature off its feet. The fiend vanished away in the same manner as before. On the last one, Sora flung the creature with his arm so that the brute was sent crashing at another one. Every monster was now on the floor, defeated and they all vanished, leaving a breathless Sora.

 _What were those?_ he narrowed his eyes, staring at the woods ahead. _I'd better find my friends._

As Sora took off, Cruella emerged from her hiding spot with an intrigued look. She would've thought Sora would for sure fail. He is, no doubt, an excellent fighter but fighters like him won't last.

* * *

With a heavy look, Cruella slithered back before she disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

By the time Sora reached the village, it was already dusk. He stopped in his tracks and looked around. It was…quiet. He suddenly felt tense as he hoped that nothing bad was happening.

"Hello?" he called out.

"Sora!"

Without a warning, something tackled Sora which made him jump with surprise. He nearly stumbled forward but the thing grabbed him from falling.

Sora turned around and he saw his friends.

"Where'd you run off to?" Sora asked. "I've been looking for you and couldn't find you."

Kairi gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry but anyone knows where are the villagers?"

Riku turned around and saw that the village was rather empty. He scanned the area once more in case he missed something but nothing was missed. He then looked at the other way only to see a medium sized tent.

"Hey, maybe they are in there," Riku motioned his head to the tent.

"Let's go see," Donald spoke.

As the group started to head towards the tent, Sora was left behind as he stared at the ground; his fist tightened. Flashbacks of those creatures came and it made him wonder why his Keyblade didn't show up.

"Hey Sora! Stop daydreaming and get over here!" Donald shouted.

"Huh?" Sora looked up to see an impatient Donald who rolled his eyes. "Oh…yeah…coming…"

When he reached up to them, Riku studied his friend though he joined by his side.

"You okay?" Riku asked.

"Uhm…yeah…yeah," he spoke as he flashed him a smile. "Now come on. Last one in is a grumpy old bear!"

"Huh? Sora, wait up!" Donald cried out as the others chased after him.

 _That's all right…I'm sure it's only for temporary. I'm positive my Keyblade will come back to me…_ Sora thought. _Till then. Smiles on. No frowns!_

He reached the tent, opening the curtain by the time his friends came. And the minute he did, there was a sense of uneasiness hanging in the atmosphere which made Sora be uncomfortable.

As he walked further in, he heard murmurs which made him curious as to who they were talking about.

"Did you see their skin?"

"Pale and sickly!"

"They have hair on their faces like dogs."

Riku placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, whispering in his ear. "Who do you think they're talking about?"

Sora shrugged. "No idea but the Chief might have something. Let's hear what he has to say," he responded before he bumped into a person who turned around. "Heh, sorry."

"My brothers, we must know more about these visitors," the Chief spoke which made Sora widened his eyes in realization.

Visitors? He couldn't possibly mean by that ship he and Pocahontas saw…could he? And speaking about Pocahontas, he hoped—wherever she was—she was doing alright.

"Maybe you ask Sora and his friends," Kocoum spoke as his glare went at Sora who suddenly went into a fighting stance.

"What?" Sora asked, eyes narrowed.

Growling quietly, Kocoum walked towards them and both of them threw each other a hard glare.

"They must be with you!" Kocoum exclaimed. "How else would they be able to find our land?"

Sora growled. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kocoum!" he shot back. "What visitors are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. You know! You just won't admit it!" Kocoum snarled, shoving his hands roughly against Sora so that he slightly stumbled backwards.

"If I knew about them, why don't you prove it?" Sora challenged as he felt threatened by him.

Before Kocoum could reply, the elderly man went between them, separating them.

"That is enough!" he shouted, breaking the tense atmosphere that was lingering between them.

"Kekata, please. What do you see?" Chief Powhatan asked, gently placing his hand on his shoulder.

Kekata, who was an elderly man, with a slender figure, fairly tan skin and long grey hair gave a solemn look to him before he walked back towards the fire and he started to chant in a language which Sora didn't understood any of it.

Kekata put red powder in the fire, creating it to be large. A huge blue smoke nearly covered the entire room which caused a few murmurs to come. In the smoke, Sora was able to see figures that resembled humans with guns and rifles.

"These are men not like us…but strange beasts with bodies that shine like the sun," Kekata replied.

Sora looked around as he saw a few Indians who were beginning to be fearful. The room was lit up by the blue lightning that came from the smoke.

"And weapons that spout fire and thunder," the figures in the smoke pulled the trigger, blasting out ominous red of clouds.

They were then dissolved away, forming into wolves. "They prowl the earth like ravenous earth, consuming everything in their path."

One of the illusionary wolves circled around Kocoum but he stood up, eyes flashing with determination.

"Great Powhatan," he spoke. "I will lead our warriors to the river and attack. We will destroy these invaders…the way we destroyed the Massawomecks," he said firmly.

Powhatan glared at the blue wolf before he waved his arm through so that it dissolved away. However, Sora took this chance to full observe Kocoum where he just now noticed the red bear-paw like marks that were upon his chest. What did that mean?

"Kocoum," Powhatan spoke. "In that battle, we knew how to fight our enemy but these pale visitors are strange to us. Take some men to the river to observe them. Let us hope they do not intend to stay."

Kocoum nodded before he turned his stare to Sora and his friends. "And what about them?" his glare was more threatening than before.

Powhatan also shared the some glare. "If what they say is true, then they'll stay with us and fight these invaders. If they back out then we know they are with them and must be eliminated. We cannot take our chances. The decision is theirs," he concluded.

Kocoum walked towards them. "I hope you know that this is mercy. If you want to regain our trusts, then stay with us. Dark times are coming, young one."

Sora slightly shot him a glare before he spoke. "Give us time."

Kocoum brought his head back a little. "Time is something we do not have. Make your decision fast or otherwise, our trusts for you has been broken."

With that, Kocoum walked towards the exit and walked out. While everyone began to pile out, Powhatan came and he put his hand on Sora's shoulder. A soft look was upon his face.

"I apologize for the burden, young one. I hope you know that we do not mean to put any pressure on you or your friends but any further help is more than welcomed to put an end to those visitors."

* * *

Sora sat on the floor with his shoulders slumped. They were still in the tent after everyone had left though there were still some scent from the once burning fire. Sora stared at the empty pit before Goofy announced himself, interrupting his chain of thoughts.

"What are we going to do? If that ship is the same race as we are then we cannot fight them. We are fighting them without reason," Goofy said.

Riku, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, spoke. "I know. That's why everything is so complicated but they do seem worry. Is the battle really this bad?"

"I guess…" Kairi said as she was also unsure of what to do. Sure, she had been stuck on many tough situations but she was always able to find a solution. But this? This is different.

"Well, we have to make our decisions fast," Donald said.

Riku turned his head to the side only to see Sora staring at the pit as though he was having a staring contest.

"Sora, what say you?" he asked.

Sora jumped upon his name being called out. "Huh? What? Oh…" he muttered. "I don't know," he paused. "Everything's so complicated…"

He resumed staring at the ground until an idea sparked into his mind. That was it. That was what they had to do but he hoped it wasn't late to execute the plan. Well, in a way it was but it's still not too late.

Having hope, Sora stood up and he looked at his friends were they all waited his answer.

"You guys want an answer?"

"No, Sora. We just want to sit here and look pretty," Riku said bluntly.

Sora ignored his remark. "Right then. Here's what we're going to do."

* * *

John lowered his gun, getting up as he stared at the woman who was behind the mist. He stared at her for the longest of time, being mesmerized by her beauty. Her piercing black eyes stared boldly at her and her hair was swaying ominously yet graceful with the wind. In some ways, he almost felt…intimidated by her.

Shocked by her beauty and her presence, he then went back down on his knees, putting his rifle away as to indicate he didn't mean any harm and began to walk slowly towards her.

Seeing this, Pocahontas felt her heart beat rapidly and from fear, she bolted away as the guy called out to her but she ignored him.

"No! Wait, please!" John called out.

Pocahontas dodged the lower branches before she reached the river where her canoe was, already climbing into it; Meeko followed shortly as Flit was hovering.

"Please!" he shouted which gained Pocahontas's attention.

John placed his gun down and he spoke, trying to reassure her. "Don't run off…"

Pocahontas gave him a look, debating whether or not if she should trust him but something made her pause. She should've bolted away but something kept her here.

"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you," John spoke softly. He reached her canon, extending his arm out. "Here. Let me help you out of there."

Pocahontas was hesitant as she watched him while looking down at his hand but then she spoke which made John be confuse, letting out a small chuckle.

"You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?" he slightly grinned. "It's alright."

Intrigued, Pocahontas lowered her head a little, tucking her hair behind her ear. He was rather attractive…The wind began to blow a bit and within the wind, Pocahontas could hear Grandmother Willow's voice echoing in it and the leaves swirled around. Suddenly, Pocahontas felt as though she could trust him which made her extend her hand out so she could take his.

When she did, she felt warmth—a pleasure one—even though it sent chills down her spine. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad. She felt the canoe being pulled back as John helped her out of it; both of their gazes never left each other while Meeko and Flit stared at the scene with fascination.

Jealous, Flit bloated from being furious and began to fly towards them but Meeko stopped him, pulling his tail as he dreamily stared at them.

"Who are you?" John asked.

Startled, Pocahontas bit her lip though she closed her eyes, listening to the wind's words as though to help her out to decide. Smiling a bit, she opened her eyes and spoke.

"Pocahontas."

Surprised, John responded. "What? What did you say?"

"My name is Pocahontas," she answered, showing her smile.

Meeko and Flit merely had their jaw drop from shock.

Intrigued, John spoke. "I'm John Smith."

 **Author's Note: **Awww, I always loved this scene ^^ it's so…magical :p tee hee but ooo, just what is Sora up to? What is his plan? And I promise you that I'll explain why Sora's Keyblade isn't showing just yet *evil grin* What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	19. Lies and Deceit

Chapter 17: Lies and Deceit

"That's it, men! Keep at it, men! Keep digging! It's gotta be here somewhere."

A few meters away from their spot, Kocoum and two of his men peered out of their hideout. Kocoum stared at the odd beings with a hard stare, instantly getting of a disturbing vibe about them. He gave a small _humph_ as he continued to observe the invaders.

"There's 30 more down by the ridge," Namontack whispered.

Kocoum hardened his stare. "That's makes more than 100!"

"Anything yet?" Ratcliffe asked, impatiently.

"Nothing but rocks and dirt, sir," Thomas answered.

"How long are we going to keep digging, sir?" a man with red hair and a red beard asked.

"We're slaving away, busting our backs day and night..." another man spoke, furiously as he walked up to Ratcliffe.

"For the King and country, I know. I know," Ratcliffe said lazily. "And I share your fatigue," he said as he took a bite from the drumstick. "Wiggins!"

A man with a slender figure, brown hair and ochre clothing rapidly cut the bushes with scissors, making it clean and tidy.

"Wiggins!" Ratcliffe shouted as he walked towards him.

"Coming!" Wiggins called out before he chopped one last piece of the bush and ran towards Ratcliffe.

"Dispose of this!" he said, handing him the nearly full drumstick. Wiggins took the plate and automatically rushed towards the dog.

"Who's a good doggie? Who's a good doggie? Fetch, boy!" he exclaimed, throwing the drumstick away though it fell right at Kocoum's hideout.

He looked at it with disgust before he resumed looking back at the area. However, he began to rise up from his hideout until Percy the dog looked back to see a head out of the bush. Frightened, he yelped, running back towards his master who always saw the figure.

Angered, Ratcliffe snarled as he yelled. "Savages! It's an ambush! Arm yourselves!"

At once, the men stated to pick up their guns and began to run down the path. However, running blindly, Thomas didn't saw where he went and he tripped over a log which trigged the pull from his gun. Lucky enough, it went between Ratcliff's legs and it struck the barrel.

Snarling, Ratcliffe turned around to face him.

"Them, you idiot!"

The area was filled with gunshots and arrows that were fired from each other.

"Where's that blasted Smith when I need him?!" he shouted.

Ratcliffe turned his back around in order to grab another gun but as he did, Namontack took this opportunity to shoot but before he could, a voice from below yelled out

"NO!" the newcomer yelled as he grabbed a spare gun and shot at the guy with some luck.

Grunting painfully, Namontack gritted his teeth in pain, clutching his injured leg and he rolled down. He groaned from this new agony though he was unaware from the attack that came from the other man.

"Namontack!" Kocoum shouted, running away from his hideout to save his friend. Growling, he grabbed the strange object from the man that was about to attack Namontack and with great force, Kocoum pushed him back and the attacker was unable to do anything since the strength was too great for him.

When he was on his knees, Kocoum kicked him in the chest, throwing the strange item away and rushed towards his friend. As Kocoum lifted him up, he gave a hatred glance at the beings only to catch a small glimpse of a blue hair before he rushed back, retreating.

"Go back to the village!" Kocoum shouted.

As he walked away with Namontack, his hatred grew stronger. He'll pay.

Because of the retreat, the men began to cheer which made Ratcliffe growl.

"Shut up! Shut up, you fools! They'll be back!" Ratcliffe shouted though the noise died down.

Narrowing his eyes, he walked towards the boy who still hold his gun as he stared down at the ground with disbelief. What did he just do?

"You boy!" Ratcliffe's booming voice called out which startled him.

He looked up, his eyes meeting with the stranger's ones. He was rater intimidating but he stood his ground, straightening himself. Not too shortly, the others came by.

"What is your name?"

Taking a breath, he answered. "Riku. My name is Riku."

Smiling cruelly, the stranger spoke. "Welcome aboard, son."

With that, Ratcliffe walked back to the crowd while Kairi looked at Riku.

"Riku, that was not part of Sora's plan," Kairi hissed quietly.

"I know," Riku muttered. "It was…on instinct. I didn't mean to…" he replied, dropping the weapon.

"Well, let's hope that Sora would still be in one piece by the time this is finished," Donald said.

* * *

Namontack groaned. He didn't know what pain this was but it was terrible. It felt like he couldn't move at all; his leg was numb and he had no feeling to it at all and that scared him. Kekata murmured in his chant while Powhatan, with a worried look, stared down at him. He shut his eyes tight, lowering his head down as he hoped that Namontack would be better soon.

The curtain of the tent opened, allowing to shed some light but it vanished when the drape was dropped, holding the darkness once more. The minute he heard about it, he instantly went here. With a sullen look, he spoke.

"How is he?" Sora asked, joining Powhatan.

Powhatan sighed. "I do not know…"

When the chanting stopped, Kekata spoke.

"This wound is strange to me…"

Heavy groans of pain from Namontack rang out which made Sora close his eyes tight. Growling, Kocoum pushed through and stared down at him.

"It was your friend," Kocoum roared.

"Kocoum!" Powhatan shouted sternly but Kocoum didn't heard him.

"I saw him. I saw him taking that…thing," with a dark look, he continued. "You and your friends are not welcomed here. We now know whose side you are on."

Sora glared. "Oh yeah? And what if I happen to tell you that I'm on your side? Huh? I'm no longer on their side."

This surprised Powhatan as he stared at Sora. "That quickly? You looked like you were inseparable with them."

"He is lying!" Kocoum exclaimed.

"I'm not. I really am on your side."

Powhatan stared at Sora with a heavy look. He studied him from every aspect, trying to find a flaw in him but there wasn't. Either that or he covered it very well which could fool anyone.

"Wait," Powhatan said. "Perhaps we could negotiate. If you say that you are on our side and you are willingly to fight with us, then you would have no problem stopping your friends," an ominous look fell on his face. "Even if it means of killing them."

Sora widened his eyes, gasping slightly and he felt numb, paralyzed. All he could do was to watch the chief exiting out of the tent.

There was one thing where Sora had forgot. Powhatan was not easy to fool and it cost him greatly.

* * *

Sora trekked down the woods in hopes of finding Pocahontas. He needed to tell her. He needed to tell her the truth and everything about them. He looked up and saw even more trees with a path between them. It seemed like a hopeless walk where he would just wind up in the same direction. Sora fell down to his knees, a sudden sadness overcame and he let out a sigh.

A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder which made him glance behind and saw the familiar face of Pocahontas with a soft expression.

"Hey," Sora sniffed.

"Something is troubling your mind and body. You are no longer controlling it."

Sora tore his gaze away, staring back at the ground while Pocahontas went on her knees.

"What is the matter?"

Sora shook his head, unable to get a sound out but be forced himself.

"I...I need to show you something. It's easier to show than to tell..."

She nodded. "Where are we going?"

"The woods."

Pocahontas gave him a strange look. "The woods?"

* * *

The two walked in silence though Sora briskly walked. He just wanted to get this over with.

"Sora, slow down!"

Sora stopped to a slow walk but it didn't matter since he had reached the destination.

"What I'm about to show you may make you lose trust in me but I ask if you forgive..."

Pocahontas raised an eyebrow. "What is this about?"

Sora took his breath and pushed down the bushes' branches that were hanging. When he did, Pocahontas gasped as she a huge strange object in the middle of the woods.

Curious yet a bit fearful, Pocahontas walked towards it since she fully want to see it. Not from the distance.

"What...what is this?" Pocahontas asked, placing her against the cool object but it made her shiver and she withdrew her hand.

Sora clenched his fists as he stared down.

"That is...a ship. It's our mode of transportation in order to get where you need to go. It's like how you would with your canoes but at a much larger scale," Sora answered.

Why was he shaking?

Pocahontas gave him a confused look. She didn't understand.

"I thought you came on a boat? That's what you told me!"

Sora shook his head as he looked up. He winced when saw her eyes that was a mixture of hurt and confusion.

"Don't you see? I...I lied to you. I lied to you when you were only asking for truth and honesty."

Pocahontas widened her eyes as she took a step back. Her breathing became fast and she suddenly became shaky, unstable. Tears started to brim at the corners of her eyes but she blinked them away.

"No..." she replied shakily before throwing him an angry look as she spoke, furiously.

"Then who are you?" she yelled with fury. "I've asked for truth and honesty but you only gave me lies and deceit?"

"Pocahontas—" he began to reach out to her but she pulled away.

"No! I've trusted you! My tribe trusted you! But you made us look like a fool."

"I wasn't trying-"

"You are an unworthy man!" she yelled. "You are not welcomed here," she stared at him with hurtful eyes. "I don't want to see you. Again."

And then, she broke into a run, shoving Sora away who looked back at her with a saddened look.

* * *

By the time Sora reached the village, it was already deep into the night and it honestly made him exhausted.

Sighing, he walked towards his tent which instantly made him think about his friends and how they were doing.

Surely, they must be doing better than he is.

Muttering, Sora was about to reach his tent until he saw Kocoum and a girl he didn't know was with him.

At least, he think that was Kocoum.

Curious, Sora walked away and went towards them while being careful not to be seen.

"Follow Pocahontas but she mustn't know that you're following her," the woman pleaded.

Kocoum nodded. "I will. She seemed different today...I wonder if she's alright."

"I hope that she is. Dark times are coming. We must be careful on who to put our trust in."

Kocoum nodded. "Yes. But I must go now..."

The woman nodded. "Be careful, Kocoum."

"I will...Nakoma."

Sora narrowed his eyes and he hid himself in his hiding spot l, waiting for the girl to disappear. When the coast was clear, Sora began to follow Kocoum.

* * *

There were times when Sora thought Kocoum had spotted him but he proved to be wrong. They were walking deeper into the woods.

If Sora knew anything about Pocahontas, it was that the woods is where she would be alone to think.

Sora glanced up only to see Kocoum stopped. He frowned.

Had he found Pocahontas?

Raising an eyebrow, Sora followed his gaze only to widen his eyes from shock.

 **Author's Note:** Dun, dun, dun! *cue music* we're finally at the part where Kocoum finds out! And we now know what Sora's plan was only to not work as how he hoped it would but yeah...We're almost done with Pocahontas's world. I believe there are only two more chapters to go and then...onto the next world! What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	20. Savages

Chapter 18: Savages

Sora widened his eyes as he gaped at the scene from shock. Pocahontas and John were sharing a passionate kiss with the wind blowing peacefully. Her arms were wrapped around him as their bodies were close to one another. It took a moment for Sora to pull himself together but the sound of the rustling bush grabbed his attention.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Kocoum dashing out.

"Kocoum!" Sora exclaimed as he was about to run after him but it was too late. He was already out in the open.

Sora ran. Maybe he could stop him but something else caught his attention. There, to his far left, were two figures and one of them held a gun in his hand and he looked like he was ready to shoot. Furrowing his eyebrows, Sora glanced to the person beside the armed man only to realize that it was Riku.

 _What is he doing here?_

"Kocoum! No! Let him go!" Pocahontas shouted as she tried to pull Kocoum away from John. However, from jealously and rage, he shoved Pocahontas away so she fell to the ground and Sora had only seconds to do something before the armed man would shoot.

He was already preparing to aim.

Growling, Sora shouted as he ran towards Kocoum. "NO!"

One shot. Two shot.

And like that, the man pulled the trigger just as Sora pushed Kocoum out of the way. A loud shot was heard and everyone seemed to be tense but the saving seemed to be futile since Kocoum, who seemed to snap out of his rage, stared at Pocahontas as he felt himself falling. As he was falling, he grabbed her necklace, ripping it before he splashed into the water. Sora groaned in pain, clutching his waist as he whimpered.

It hurts…

Sora slowly lifted his head only to see Kocoum lying on the water, having his heart plummet down as he thought the worst. But he couldn't think straight as the pain was the only thing that crossed his mind. In the bushes, Riku stared numbly at the scene before he snapped himself and he made a dash towards the injured Sora.

During his hazy vision, he could slightly hear disorientated screams of shouts but he couldn't make it out.

Sora didn't even realize that Riku and Thomas showed up.

"Sora! Sora!" Riku yelled as he started to lift him up but he was stopped by Pocahontas who was giving him an anger look.

"Hey, he needs help!"

"We have herbs and medicine that would allow him to heal," Pocahontas said before she heard more whooping.

"Get out of here," John said.

"But you'll get caught," Thomas replied.

"Just do as I say," John said sternly. "GO!"

Giving a one last look, Riku and Thomas began to run to the opposite path. With hazy vision, Sora managed to catch a glimpse of Riku before he vanished into the woods.

"Riku…" he muttered.

"Shh. Rest."

Just as Riku and Thomas left, the group of Indians appeared and one of them grabbed hold of John, shoving him to the ground as he hold his hands behind them before having him walk away. Another group of Indians came; one of them carried Sora while a few of them went to Pocahontas who was on her knees, being in front of Kocoum. They picked him up, carrying him away.

* * *

Gasps were heard among the crowd as one of the helpers carried Kocoum to Powhatan. Powhatan stared from shock and disbelief though his face was full of hatred and anger. He tightened his fist at his staff so that they turned white.

Growling, Powhatan spoke.

"Who did this?!" he roared, looking up at the entrance where another pair of Indians walked, carrying in the murderer.

"Pocahontas was in the woods," one of them said. "And that's not all. This boy tried to save Kocoum but it appeared his saving failed but he too got a wound," he showed Sora who was limp in his arms with eyes closed.

Powhatan stared with wide eyes while his mind and thoughts were all jumbled and scattered.

"Kocoum went to find him and this white man attacked him," they brought John to his knees. He tried to look up, to see Sora but he was held down rather strong and couldn't really move.

Eyes filled with hate, Powhatan spoke in a stern tone that held ferocity that actually felt John be unsettled by him as the Chief walked towards him.

"Your weapons are strong but our anger is stronger. At sunrise, he'll be the first to die!"

"But Father!" a voice exclaimed from the crowds. He looked through them and saw his daughter running to him.

Flashing with anger, Powhatan resumed talking. "I told you to stay in the village! You disobeyed me! You have shamed your father!" he growled.

"I was only trying to help," she spoke, desperately.

"Because of your foolishness, Kocoum is dead! And Sora has been injured!" giving a one last furious look, he snarled. "Take him away!"

Powhatan then looked at Sora. "And this boy is to be treated."

With that, they all left with John struggling to get loose while Pocahontas fell on her knees, upset. Nakoma walked towards her, feeling disappointment within her as she was partially to be blamed too. She had let her friend down. Had she not send Kocoum, he would still be alive.

Depressed, Pocahontas looked up at the newcomer.

"Kocoum was just trying to protect me," she whispered.

Biting her lip, Nakoma burst out. She had to tell her. She couldn't hold the pain that was in her heart; it was too heavy.

"Pocahontas, I've sent Kocoum after you!" she blurted out. Seeing the disbelief look, Nakoma winced as she continued. "I was worried about you."

Nakoma fell down to her knees, being shaky. "I thought I was doing the right thing," she whispered.

"All this happened because of me," Pocahontas said glumly. "And now…I'll never see John Smith again," she sniffed.

Grabbing her hand to comfort her, Nakoma pulled her up as an idea went in her mind. "Come with me."

* * *

Powhatan entered the med bay where the healer was placing some odd ingredient on the wound of Sora. He sat down on his knees, looking down upon him, being lost in thought before he spoke.

"How is he?" he asked quietly.

The healer looked up, giving him a small sad smile. "He is a strong fighter. As long as he has the will and strength, he should be able to recover. While this wound is strange to us, it may not be peculiar to him so his body should be able to help."

Powhatan sighed, nodding. "Thank you."

She gave him a small smile and she got up after she picked up her small bowls and put them on the table. She placed her hand on his shoulder, giving a small squeeze of reassurance.

"He'll be healed. You'll see. Until then I only ask that you make him rest so he can be fully recovered."

And then, she exited out of the tent to leave Powhatan to his thoughts. It was a few minutes until Sora gradually woken up though at first, his vision was hazy and he only could see darkness. He groaned which snapped Powhatan out of his misery and thoughts, turning his attention to the young one.

"Where…where am I?" Sora breathed heavily. He pushed himself up only to have a sharp pain go up his abdomen and he was forced to lie back down.

"Rest," Powhatan murmured.

Sora turned his head to the side to see the Chief. "Powhatan," he started. "What…what happened? The last thing I saw was…Kocoum and…"

Powhatan raised his hand up to silence him which Sora obliged; a bitter look rested upon Sora's face.

"Kocoum…" he hesitated, deciding if he should tell him or not but then decided to tell him.

After all, he risked his life just to save Kocoum but it was all for naught.

"He's dead…" Powhatan answered bitterly which made Sora widened his eyes from sorrow and stun.

"Wh—what?" he croaked.

"He's dead," Powhatan repeated. "But I hope you know that he had appreciated at the thought of you saving him even if it was all of nothing," he heaved out a heavy sigh. "Sora, I apologize of the burden I had placed on you and I wish to make things better. Please, if you have any idea…please…"

Sora softened his expression as he stared up at the ceiling, being lost in thoughts for a moment before he replied.

"Call off the war," Sora said. He was greatly concerned about his friends and wondered if they were alright. "Call off the war and everything would be fine. Talk to man that had been at Kocoum's death. He can help you and you can help him."

Powhantan slightly narrowed his eyes but he still held the fallen look. "He killed Kocoum. Such choice of action should not go unaccounted for. You took the attack…"

"But what if there was more to the story than you think?" Sora tried. "Forget about me. Go talk to him," he got up but the pain shot up once more to remind him about it.

He groaned, clutching at his side before he went laid back down.

"Please, Powhatan…call off the war…that's all I'm asking," Sora replied, wincing.

The Chief stood up with a hard stare. "I cannot let my people down. You are not a Chief so you do not know what it is to hold such responsibility."

Sora slightly glared at him and he called out just as Powhatan was about to exit. "No I don't. But if you want to keep your daughter happy, then call off the war. Otherwise, you're on own."

* * *

Nakoma reached the tent. The very tent that was holding the man who apparently killed Kocoum. She looked straight at the guards' eyes, her voice in a commanding tone.

"Pocahontas wants to look into the eyes of the man who killed Kocoum," Nakoma said sternly.

At once, they moved away which allowed Pocahontas to enter. When she entered in, all she saw was darkness with a light that was partially lighting up on John who was tied against a pole.

Breathing out a sigh, Pocahontas made a small sprint before she fell down to her knees, placing a hand on his cheek. Upon feeling the warmth, John gradually awoken himself and he gave a brief smile at Pocahontas.

"Pocahontas!" he whispered.

She merely gave him a saddened look, caressing his hair. "I'm so sorry," she whispered apologetically.

John gave a small chuckle as she leaned against him. She longed for his comfort, to be with him for one last time. "For what? This?"

"I've gotten out of worse scrapes than this," he chuckled but he fell into silence. "Can't think of any right now but…" he trailed off, sighing.

Pocahontas tore her gaze away as she spoke; her heart tugging with pain. She knew she would regret what she would be saying next.

"It would've been better if we'd never met," she spoke remorsefully. "None of this would've happened."

"Pocahontas look at this," John replied a bit sternly. Seeing her so heartbroken made him miserable even more. He couldn't bear to see her like this. "I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you."

Pocahontas shot him a small bitter look but before she spoke, she heard Nakoma call out her name.

"Pocahontas."

"I can't leave you," Pocahontas replied. Tears were threatening to spill. She couldn't leave him. Not again.

"You never will. No matter what happens to me, I'll always be with you. Forever."

Upset, Pocahontas caressed him once more and he took this moment to feel her touch one last time before she pulled away. John gazed at the shadow of her before it got smaller and smaller until John was back into the darkness and knew no more.

* * *

"Help! Somebody help!" Thomas shouted as he and Riku ran.

Riku growled since he wanted nothing more than to punch the living daylights out of him. Him and Sora's plan. His stupid plan.

To Hell with Sora

"Easy, lad. What is it?" one of the men asked, peering out of the fence.

"It's Smith! They got him!" Thomas blurted out as they entered inside the campus.

"Who got him?"

Upon hearing the commotion, everyone began to gather around the campfire as they all listened to Thomas.

"The Savages!"

"Savages?"

"They captured him! Dragged him off!"

"Where'd they take him?" another man demanded.

"They're headed to the north," Thomas answered.

"How many were there?"

Because of the commotion, Wiggins (with a lantern on) peeked out of his tent just to what it was all about. In his nightgown, he began to walk towards them but before he could go any further, something grabbed him, pulling him inside the tent.

"This is perfect, Wiggins," Ratcliffe said who had covered his mouth. "I couldn't have planned this better myself," he sneered. Seeing the light, Ratcliffe blew it out so that they were covered in darkness. Grinning, he slightly peered out of his tent. "The gold is as good as mine."

"We got to save him!" Thomas exclaimed. "He'd do the same for any of us!"

"None of this would've happened if you hadn't killed one of their Indians," Riku replied, glaring at Thomas.

The man with the black beard widened his eyes. "You shot a man?"

"Yes I did but by mistake! Please, I was only trying to save John. That man attacked him," Thomas answered.

"And _you_ shot my friend instead!" Riku growled, shoving Thomas away. "If you're lucky, he may still be alive!"

Thomas winced. "I'm sorry. I didn't knew he would jump in to save him. I was only doing what I thought was right. Guess it wasn't."

Riku snorted. "You think?"

"Enough!" the bearded man exclaimed. "Arguing won't get us anywhere. Look kid, we apologize about your friend but we have to save our friend. Our captain. His life is depending on it."

"And my friend isn't!?" Riku shouted.

He growled. "Seeing that your friend is important, then you should come with us. Save your friend and get out of there. We'll do the rest."

"Fine," Riku glared.

"What's all the commotion?" a sleepy voice asked.

Riku glanced to the right to see Donald, Goofy and Kairi coming out of their tents. Before Riku spoke, another voice announced from the darkness and they all turned their heads to see Ratcliffe.

"We're going to war," he declared.

* * *

"They're going to kill him at sunrise, Grandmother Willow," Pocahontas spoke.

"You have to stop them."

"I can't," she said miserably.

"Child, remember your dream."

Furious, Pocahontas exclaimed. "I was wrong, Grandmother Willow. I followed the wrong path. I feel so lost."

Upset, Percy went up to her in attempt to comfort her while Meeko went inside the hole of the tree, digging up before he pulled out an object and then handed to Pocahontas. Curious, Pocahontas lifted her head up only to see that it was the compass—the one John Smith held.

"The compass," she spoke, staring at the arrow. She played around with the compass until a sudden realization came into her mind. It all makes sense now. The spinning arrow…that was what came into her dream.

"The spinning arrow," she breathed.

"It's the arrow from your dream!" Grandmother Willow exclaimed.

"I was right," Pocahontas said suddenly being excited again. "It was pointing to him!"

The arrow spun faster and faster as she got up. When she did, light fell down her face which gained her attention. She looked up only to see the sun being tainted with a blood red color as tints of dark pink splashed in the sky, giving out an ominous feel.

"Sunrise!" she gasped. She hasn't got much time.

"It's not too late, child! Let the spirits of the earth guide you!" the arrow began to spin faster and faster until it stopped, pointing at North. "You know your path, child. Now follow it!"

Eager, Pocahontas broke out into a mad sprint as she followed the drums of war banging in the distance. Time was almost came to an end. She must hurry. She didn't stopped running. She couldn't. Not when she has the chance to save him.

It's not too late.

* * *

Growling, Sora got up as he ignored the pain though he stumbled, placing his hand on for support before he saw his shirt, grabbing it and then exited out of the tent although he wished he hadn't.

He felt paralyzed at what he saw. It was chaos. Drums were heard, the people were preparing their weapons as the blood red sun shone unpromisingly, giving out the message that the war was to come.

Powhatan didn't listened to him after all.

"Bring out the prisoner!" the Chief shouted. "It's time for him to meet his end," he snarled.

The two Indians dragged out the struggling John who couldn't seem to escape no matter what he did. Heart racing, Sora ran towards him and he grabbed Powhatan's weapon.

"No! Don't do it!" Sora shouted, trying to get it out of the Chief's hand.

Growling, Powhatan merely yanked his arm back which made Sora fall down to the ground.

"Be gone, child. This is for you not to see! Away with you!"

"Powhatan please! Don't take the path of war," Sora pleaded but as he got up, the pain came back again which forced him to kneel down.

With a terrifying look, Powhatan spoke dangerously. "Nothing you will say will change my mind. Everything is already set. It's far too late now. Men, let's go! To the land of the death!"

"No…" Sora watched helplessly as the many group of Indians all followed Powhatan, determinedly.

Sora growled. _I've got to do something._

With that, Sora chased after the large crowd despite the burning pain that shot through his body.

And not too far, Ratcliffe's men were preparing themselves before they too started to walk down the path that would help them reach John while Pocahontas was still sprinting, not stopping even if her legs were screaming at her to stop since it was burning. As she ran, a determined look went across her face. She wouldn't stop.

Not now.

 _I don't know what I could but I've know I've still got to try,_ she thought until at last, she finally came to her crowd as well as Sora (although unknown to her) where she watched her father raise up the execution weapon and began to bring it down.

Pained, Pocahontas ran up, sliding down on her knees just as her Father brought down her weapon when she shouted.

"NO!"

 **Author's Note:** Dun, dun, dun… Pocahontas came in…just barely and saved John…well…partially XD she hasn't spoken her words of wisdom yet which would change her Father eventually. And Sora, you fool…what are you going to do? -_- what happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	21. Regaining Trust

Chapter 19: Regaining Trust

There was a tense silence as Powhatan resisted to bring down the weapon as a look of shock etched across his face. He stared at his daughter with utter disbelief, trying to process that he nearly killed his daughter.

"If you kill him, you'll have to kill me too," Pocahontas spoke boldly, hugging John. Her fierce eyes pierced at Powhatan's eyes as he paused, staring deep into hers.

Meanwhile, Sora ran down, going in the middle of the Indians and the Settlers with arms out.

"Stop!" Sora shouted.

"Hey, Sora's alive!" Donald poked through the crowd.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "What he's doing?"

"Don't you see what you're doing? Ask yourselves. Is this the right thing to do?" Sora raised his voice so he could be heard.

Growling, Powhatan raised the weapon once more. "Daughter, stand back!"

"I won't!" Pocahontas shot back. "I love him, Father! Look around you," she continued, ignoring the stunned look of his face. "This is where the path of hatred has bought us. This is the path I choose, Father," she breathed. "What will yours be?"

There was a heavy silence and just from there, the wind began to blow gently as it circled around Powhatan as though it had a mind of its own. As if it had the power, Powhatan suddenly felt relaxed and was at ease and he began to drop his weapon which indicated that he made his decision.

"My daughter speaks with a wisdom beyond her years," he called out. "We have all come here with anger in our hearts but she comes with courage and understanding. From this day forward, if there is to be killing, it will not start with me," he said firmly and that made Pocahontas smile with happiness.

She grinned, knowing that she made the right decision. Knowing that she had made her Father to understand that hatred is not the right way.

"Release him," he commanded.

The Indian cut the rope and the two hugged each other, embracing each other. They finally were able to be together. The army from both sides appeared to be lowering their weapons and Sora couldn't help but to grin that they were ending the war.

Scowling, Ratcliffe glared at the scene and he pulled out his sword. "Now's our chance! Fire!"

"NO!"

"What?" Ratcliffe growled, staring at Thomas.

"They let him go!" Thomas exclaimed. The bearded man joined Thomas.

"They don't want to fight," he shot back.

Irritated, Ratcliffe yelled. "It's a trick! Don't you see? Fire!"

More people joined Thomas as they were all glaring back Ratcliffe. Snarling, Ratcliffe saw that he was on his own and he grabbed a gun from a nearby solider.

"Fine! I'll settle this myself!" he shouted, aiming for the Chief.

Sora turned around and saw the brute was ready to fire. "NO!"

As he shouted, Ratcliffe fired but this made John be aware as he leaped forward, pushing the Chief away as he took the blow. He gave a shout of pain as he fell down to the ground with a _thud_ , clutching his injured side.

"John!"

Gasping, Pocahontas leaped forward, crying out his name as she fell down beside him. Eyes wide, Ratcliffe lowered his weapon down as he stared back at his army. Thomas stared at him with disbelief.

"You shot him!" he shouted.

"He stepped right into it!" Ratcliffe reencountered, defending himself. "It's his own fault!"

"Smith was right along!" one of the men called out as they began to advance on Ratcliffe who stepped back.

"We never should've trusted you!"

"Get the gun!"

"Traitors!" Ratcliffe roared as he furiously fought back but it was futile as he was brought down to his knees by his men and Thomas yanked the gun out of his arms.

"Put him in chains!" Thomas ordered. He glared as Ratcliffe spat in his face.

"I'll see you all hanged for this!"

Disgusted, Thomas spoke. "And gag him as well!"

Worried for his friend, Thomas rushed towards the cliff to where John was and he pushed through the crowd and didn't stopped until he reached his friend.

"John!" Thomas spoke, sliding on his knees.

Groaning, John flickered his eyes open, having enough strength to see his friend. "Thomas…"

Sora looked up as a flashback came to his mind, making him to remember at how he had pushed Kocoum away only to have him killed in the end.

"Sora!"

As he turned around, he was instantly tackled by Goofy and Donald only to make him fall down and he laughed.

"Hey guys," Sora grinned.

"You insufferable fool!" Donald shouted, banging his fists at Sora's chest. "Do you have any idea how worried we were when Riku told us what happened?"

Sora cringed from the loudness as he sighed. "Nice to see you too, Donald."

He gave a small _humph_ , giving him a cold shoulder.

"Aw come on. Don't be like that."

Riku sighed as he sat next to Sora. "You are a one crazy fool. You know that?"

Sora paused. "I know," he grinned.

Riku rolled his eyes before he gazed forward only to see Kairi standing. The two shared a glance for a moment though this made Riku grin as he gave a playful punch on Sora's arm. He nodded to indicate that he should go to her.

Biting his lip, Sora got up but he slightly winced, just a little, and he walked towards Kairi, stopping in his tracks when he reached her.

"Uhm…hi?" he greeted awkwardly. "Look: I'm sorry. I guess I was being a jerk and all but you are still my friend and I—"

Unexpectedly, Kairi tackled him into a hug much to Sora's surprise and she whispered in his ears.

"Just stop talking. I'm just glad you're okay," Kairi said quietly.

Sora laughed sheepishly before he returned the hug.

* * *

"Is he going to make it, Thomas?"

"The sooner he gets to England, the better," Thomas answered as he took off his satchel.

"Let's hope the wind is with him," the bearded man said.

"Is the ship ready?"

"Any minute now. Just loading the last bit of cargo."

Meanwhile, all tied up and gagged, two men threw Ratcliffe away to a boat where the rower grinned smugly.

"Untie me at once! I'll have your head for this!" Ratcliffe muffled.

Ignoring him, they pushed the boat away while Wiggins teared up.

"And he came so highly recommended."

After Thomas finished with his things, he walked back to where John was lying on a stretcher-like with a bandage wrapped around his waist. Sighing, Thomas bent down and stared bitterly while Sora and his friends pushed through the crowd.

"The ship's almost ready. We'd better get you on a boat. We'll lose the tide."

And then, the two men began to carry the stretcher towards the boat but John grabbed Thomas by his shirt.

"No, not yet. She said she'd be here."

Thomas sighed but something told him to look around and through the mist, a figure appeared, walking towards him.

"Look!"

John slightly lifted his head to look forward and saw the same figure. He grinned when he knew who it was; her graceful presence couldn't be missed. However, it seemed that she wasn't alone since more silhouettes appeared beside her but because they didn't know who they were, the men felt threatened and they started to pull out their gun. Just in case.

As the figures walked further out, they all realized that it was more of the Indians, carrying something in their arms. Sighing out relief, the men put their guns back but they were all very curious as they watched them putting the items on the ground.

As Pocahontas walked towards them, they removed their hats in respect but she only had eyes for a certain someone who was quite glad to see her. With respect, Thomas took off his hat and whispered.

"Going back is his only chance. He'll die if he stays here."

Pocahontas put a reassuring hand on his shoulder before she walked towards John who extended his hand.

"Here," she whispered, sitting beside him. "It's from Grandmother Willow's bark," she replied, handing him the bag. "It'll help with the pain."

John grinned silly. "What pain? I've had worse pain than this," he spoke as he lifted himself up but the pain shot through his body and he was forced to lie back down.

"Can't think of any right now but…" he stopped when he saw the Chief and a woman walking towards him.

Smiling a bit, Powhatan took off his cape. "You are always welcome among our people," he said as he lowered himself down to cover John with his cape. "Thank you, my brother."

And then, he got up walking away as he turned to face Sora.

"I guess I should've listened to you first but I didn't. You displayed a great deal of courage and bravery."

Sora grinned as he put his arms behind his head. "Aww, it was nothing."

"Nevertheless, you and your friends are among our people as well."

Nodding, the Chief walked away though Sora was met with angry glares from his friends.

"You call getting shot was nothing?!"

Sora winced before he turned his attention towards John where he saw Pocahontas putting the necklace around her neck and then, they found themselves kissing each other which made Sora grin before John was being taken away towards the boat. As she stared at the view with a heavy heart, she suddenly bolted away, running away.

Running away with the wind.

 **Author's Note:** CAN YOU PAINT ALL THE COLORS OF THE WIND! *Ahem* I was going to write more but then I felt like this was the perfect spot to end. You'll see Sora's departure in the next chapter. But furthermore, we have completed Pocahontas's world but which world will come next? What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	22. Welcome to Arendelle

Chapter 20: Welcome to Arendelle

Pocahontas stared at large strange machinery. This was a…ship as how Sora called it. It looked rather odd with things sticking out from the back and the sides. It was also multi-colored as well with red and yellow and white and with tints of blue. She tilted her head to the side, wearing a curious look on her face.

"This is a ship?" even the word sounded strange as it rolled off her tongue. It was a strange foreign language.

"Yeah," Sora nodded. "It's how we go from world to world."

"It can go out beyond?" Pocahontas asked surprised.

Sora grinned a little at her curiosity. "Yeap."

Smiling softly, Powhatan walked towards Sora and his friends who were about to climb aboard but they were stopped by the Chief.

"Sora," he spoke.

Sora stopped in his tracks as he turned around to face with the Chief. The Chief placed his strong hands on his shoulder, nodding.

"I thank you for everything you had done. You and your friends too. If we hadn't come to our sense, who knows what might've happen."

Sora gave him a sheepish look. "Gee uhm thanks but it wasn't us as well. It was your daughter too," he added.

"Indeed," he agreed. "I wish you and your friends a safe journey."

Nodding, Sora entered in and Pocahontas and him shared a look before the door closed on its own. The ship ignited as loud roaring rockets were blasting out its power before the ship began to lift itself. With a one last rumble, the ship took off.

* * *

"Which world will we be arriving in now?" Kairi asked as she stared out at the window.

"I don't know but it is getting warmer," Sora replied.

"Yeah, it's getting warmer that I think it's busting one of our engines," Donald grumbled. "It's overheating!"

Sora sighed. "I'll go see how Chip and Dale are doing."

"No, you won't," Riku snapped. "You sit and I'll go. We can't risk losing each other again with all that's happening. You still don't have your Keyblade."

Sora scowled. "Neither does Kairi."

Kairi smirked. "I bet I'm going to get mine before yours," she grinned.

Sora laughed. "Yeah right."

"Nah, in all honesty, Kairi would probably get it before you," Riku teased.

Sora raised an eyebrow as he suddenly realized that sudden change in Riku's behaviour. "Hey, how come you're all playful and a tease all of a sudden?"

Riku shrugged as he causally leaned back. "I guess I've lingered into the darkness for a long time. It's time for me to come into the light."

When Riku came back from the Operator room, he nodded to confirm what Donald had said.

"Yeah, they're having some problems too," Riku confirmed. "We need to land or otherwise, we're gonna have a crash like last time."

"Well there is a woods over there," Sora replied, pointing at the far distance. "We could land there to avoid a distraction. I don't know if this new world is in the past or in the future of technology."

Riku rolled his eyes. "So in other words, we're gonna lie again about our transportation?"

"It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Yes, because that totally worked so well last time."

"Riku, stop being a jerk. Sora, stop being a pincushion and let's just land at the words like Sora suggested!" Kairi snapped as Sora dropped his jaw.

"A pin cushion!?" he cried out while Riku chuckled. "Hey, at least I'm not called a jerk, jerk."

Riku sneered.

The ship landed deep into the woods where the trees are at its thickest. The smoke from the engines were really thick and it seemed as though it was going to take a long time for them to cool. When the group got out, they were only surrounded by trees and lush green grass.

"Where are we?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know but this sort of reminds me of the forest from Rapunzel's world," Sora answered.

"Well come on. We won't get any answers if we stay here," Goofy said.

Going with Goofy's idea, they began to walk forward until they reached at the end of the path. Ahead of them was an entire area that was surrounded with calming blue water while in the middle of the lake, was a city that stood tall and regal.

"Now are we gonna get there?" Donald asked.

Sora grinned. "We swim."

Riku snorted. "If anything pulls you from underneath, don't expect us to save you."

Kairi paused in thought, brain storming some ideas until a voice called out which gained their attentions.

"Ahoy, there lads and lady! Need a ride?" a person called out, pulling a bit closer to them.

"Yeah, we sure do!" Sora replied enthusiastically.

The boat stopped and even though, it wasn't close enough to the shore, the group began to run into the water, swimming a bit which instantly gave them shivers since even though the river was beautifully glimmering from the sun rays, it was cold.

"Thanks," Sora replied as he grabbed the person's hand who helped him up.

"Anytime," he said. Once Sora was on the surface of the boat, he helped the Captain (Sora assumed he was the Captain) into helping the others.

"Come on, Donald! Push those feathery arms!" Sora grinned, laughing.

"Ah, cut it. The water's freezing and I'm not cut into swimming!" Donald yelled agitated.

At last, Sora and the Captain pulled him up where Donald shook himself in order to dry himself but in doing so, he got some water on Sora who gave a small exclaim of shout.

As they were sailing, Sora looked out into the distance to study the castle.

"Isn't she a beaut? Arendelle at her finest," the Captain spoke.

"Arendelle?" Sora quizzed.

Immediately catching on, the Captain resumed talking. "Ah, you're probably aren't around here, are you? But yes, Arendelle. The castle was ruled by its kind King and Queen, bless them. Quite a tragedy at what happened to them. The poor daughters were left alone at such a young age."

"What happened to the King and Queen?" Sora asked, suddenly feeling saddened.

The Captain sighed. "They were out on a trip and were to be expected to return in two weeks but it never happened. They never came back. They died in a shipwreck from an angry storm…"

Sora tightened his fists on the rail as he continued to stare at Arendelle until a sudden blurry flashback came into his mind, making his eyes wide. He couldn't really figure out what was happening since it was speeding in a rapid speed. All he could see was a younger version of himself followed by a shadowy woman who was beside him.

Gasping, Sora stumbled backwards and awkwardly caught himself at the pole of the small ship.

"Sora!" Riku replied surprised.

Sora panted heavily as he numbly stared at the ground but upon hearing his name, he looked up though Riku was suddenly concerned for him since Sora was so pale.

"You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah," Sora breathed, pushing himself up.

They eventually arrived at the dock where all the other ships and boats were decked. Needless to say, the group was surprised when they saw how crowded it was. Again, they all were getting a Corona's vibe but it could be misleading.

"Wow, looks like everyone's coming here," Sora observed.

"Of course, they are! They're here for the Princess's Coronation who's going to become Queen!" the Captain said proudly. "It's so busy, why, everyone's most excited that they're finally opening up the gates."

"Finally? Why finally?" Goofy asked.

"That's the thing. I don't know. They suddenly closed their doors when the King and Queen are still around—no one knows the answers but the good thing is that the gates are finally opened until midnight!" the Captain grinned. "Anyways, I've gotta go and deliver some of my things so feel free to explore Arendelle. It's beautiful. Especially the Village."

Sora nodded as they began to walk. "We will. Hey, thanks for the ride again!"

"Anytime!"

The group noticed that the further they went in, the busier the streets were. Poles, banners and flags with purple, yellow and green had all decorated the streets as they showed the emblem in the middle. The crest was designed by having a golden yellow crocus in the centre emblazoned with a purple background while having some green to the right side.

Sora gazed ahead as he saw the tall looming castle, all lined up with its towers which were in different shapes and sizes, being beside it. There was a long path which was connected to the castle but it was also crowded with citizens who all seemed to be excited about today's event.

"I'm guessing that it's summer here," Riku said as he placed his arms behind his hand.

Excited that they were in a new world again, Sora spoke. "Hey, let's go exploring!"

"Yeah," Riku agreed.

"Great! I'll meet you at the castle for the Coronation!" Sora called out as he bolted.

"He—hey! Sora! Sora!"

Riku sighed. It was too late since Sora was already gone and he merely shook his head.

"Come on, guys. Let's go see the village."

As Kairi was about to walk, she stopped and looked to the side to see a short man with a pointed nose, slender body followed by grey hair at the sides and back of his head.

"Hey, doesn't that man seem a bit…odd?" Kairi replied, being skeptic about him.

Riku glanced to the left to see the man but said nothing while Donald brushed him off.

"Eh, there's probably more visitors that look like that. I'm sure it's nothing," Donald replied.

"If you say so…"

As the group walked away, the man stared at the boy that just ran away a few seconds ago. He had a peculiar look before he shrugged it off even though something about them seemed off.

Letting it go, the man breathed in.

"Ah, Arendelle!" he exclaimed. "Our most mysterious trade partner. Open those gates so I may unlock your secrets and _exploit_ your riches! Oops, did I say that out loud?"

* * *

Sora looked around, spotting from decorated banners to homes to shops to marketplace. It was all bright and cheerful with music playing in the crowd. Even Sora himself felt more joyful as he walked the streets of the village.

"Nothing's in my…WAY!"

Sora barely had the time to register since something collided at him, sending them both to fall down to the ground. The person gasped as she stumbled over her words.

"I'm so sorry…I'm sorry. I didn't see where I was going and I…I…I'm sorry," she stumbled over her words.

"It's alright," Sora let out a shaky laugh as he rubbed his head. "I probably would've done it too."

Sora looked up and tilted his head to see the girl who was also looking at him. She has a slender build with fair skin and turquoise blue eyes, rosy cheeks that seemed to be slightly red from embarrassment with long strawberry blonde hair, being tied in a fancy bun. Bangs covered her eyes as she gave a sheepish look, laughing nervously as she crawled backwards.

"I'm sorry," she apologized profusely after a long awkward silence.

"It's alright…" Sora said as he got up. He extended his hand for her to help up and she took it.

"Uhm…hi…" she said awkwardly. "I'm Anna."

"I'm Sora."

Anna looked at him though she couldn't but to wear a strange look especially at his…clothing choice. Does he wear those from wherever he came from?

"Uhm…you're not around here are you?" she asked. "Your clothes kind of gave away…"

Sora looked down as he gave a sheepish grin. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. These are my kind of clothes back at the island."

Anna widened her eyes. "Oh so you're from an island? How far?"

Sora hesitated as he chose his words carefully. "Uhm, very far."

"Interesting…oh but you must meet my sister! Wait, actually maybe you shouldn't meet my sister yet. It would be more…yeesh…" she laughed nervously. "But come on! Let me show you Arendelle!" she replied excitedly as she took off.

Sora laughed since at times, Anna reminded of himself. Full of energy and wanting to explore. As Sora looked to ahead, he widened his eyes and called out.

"Wait, Anna—"

Too late.

There was a yelp then a thud came as she was sent tumbling towards a boat. Sora winced and it would've been tipped over if the horse hadn't stopped it from doing so.

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

Sora shook his head as he waited for Anna to talk to…whoever that was and a few minutes later, she came back with a dreamy look.

"He's cute…" she sighed.

"Who was he?"

"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles," she giggled.

"I think you have a crush on him," he grinned which made Anna snap back to reality.

"What? No. Nononononononono," she exclaimed furiously. "Pfft, who likes someone on the first day they had just met?"

Sora shrugged as he got a sinking feeling that Anna would bite her words soon. Before he could continue to think on his thoughts, a harsh pull came as he realized that Anna was pulling him.

"Come on. Let's go!"

* * *

"No…not that one…or this one. Sheesh, I forgot this one was even in style…" Anna muttered as she rummaged through the closet. "Aha! This one!"

Sora blinked with surprise when she threw a uniform right at his face. He barely caught in time though.

"Try that one…if it doesn't suit right then uhm…I'll think of something else," Anna replied.

"Thanks but I don't really—"

"Pfft, nonsense. People will look at you strangely if you don't wear the kind of clothing we have. So go on. Try it. I'll be right outside the door," she grinned before she slipped away, closing the door.

Sora sighed. Anna was…nice but she's too lively. Shaking his head from the thoughts, he began to dress himself until a knock on the door came.

"Uhm…are you done?" Anna said, cracking the door a little bit although she didn't peeked in.

"Yeah…Yeah…I'm done," Sora called out.

The door got wide open and there was Anna who widened her eyes as her jaw dropped, stunned. Seeing the look, Sora spoke.

"Uhm…is something wrong? Maybe I should try another one—"

"No. Nonono…you look…wow…are you sure you're not royal?"

Sora shrugged. "Yeah, I'm positive…" he turned around to look at the mirror only to surprise himself. He didn't look that bad in the suit at all.

He wore a royal blue blazer adorned with gold aiguillettes with a white shirt followed by a black cravat. He also had black trousers with black boots. For a brief moment, he _almost_ looked like royalty, he thought as he looked at the mirror, losing himself in his thoughts.

"Uhm…Sora?"

"Hmm?"

"You were kind of…zoning out there for a while," Anna said.

"Oh…it's…uhm…nothing."

Through the awkward silence bells were ringing, indicating that the Coronation was about to start. Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Anna urged Sora by grabbing him by his hand.

"The Coronation!" she cried out, grabbing his hand. "Come on! We gotta move!"

* * *

Anna breathed out a sigh of relief when she reached her spot. She took a glance at the crowd only to spot Hans where she smiled, giving a small wave and in return, Hans waved back. She then looked ahead to see Sora walking in, standing near at the entrance. Anna made a small smile; he did looked rather cute. A little lost but cute nonetheless.

The room was getting fuller as the benches were already filled. Unknown to Sora though, Riku and their friends also came in but they arrived before Sora which was why they didn't met. As everyone began to settle down, Sora took this chance to observe the building.

It was a medium-sized, filling the room with its holy light and with tall ceilings while there was a balcony, having a choir who were all lined up. Up at the front was the stand where Anna and the priest stood, waiting for the Princess who was soon to become Queen.

At once, the choir began to sing when it was their time though it made Sora jump from startle. It was a beautiful yet haunting which echoed around the room and as if on cue, a long purple cape grabbed Sora's attention from the corner of his eyes and he turned around to see people standing up to pay respects as a tall, regal-looking person entered in.

Sora couldn't see much other than the long purple cape, following her from behind. Her platinum blonde hair was styled in a bun which was similar to Anna's except it was lower.

Everyone went back to their seats once the Princess reached her destination. However, the choir resumed singing; it was rather enchanting but Sora was too focused at the ceremony to even hear what they were singing. He had never been to a Coronation ceremony so all of this was pretty new to him.

And pretty cool.

He watched as how the Priest took the small golden crown and waited for the Princess who bowed her head in order to accept the crown. After placing it on her head, the Priest then grabbed the holy items which were placed on a pillow. Sora waited eagerly, watching the next process until it was then where he noticed that the Princess was a bit…hesitant?

Sora blinked. That couldn't be right. Why was she hesitant? Was he the only one who saw it?

He looked around to see if anyone else had saw it only to realize that he was the only one. A second later, the Princess took the holy items and the Priest spoke, speaking in a language Sora didn't understood as she turned around.

Everyone in the audience stood up, all happy to accept her as Queen. When she turned around, Sora was surprised to see how young she was. He knew Anna was young, judging by her appearance but to be a Queen at that age? The newly Queen must be terrified.

Especially if she doesn't have her parents to help her out.

"…Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" the Priest proclaimed, pulling Sora out of his thoughts.

He, along with the audience, chanted back.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"

 **Author's Note:** Tada! Frozen is the next world! Who's ready? And maybe Sora and his friends won't do anything too drastic to change the story's plot…eh, who am I kidding. Of course they will! Anywho, what happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	23. The North Mountain

Chapter 21: The North Mountain

Sora pushed through the crowd in attempt to reach out for Anna. He found her at the front, watching the crowd excitedly. His eyes trailed off, landing to the person beside her which was her sister.

"Anna!" Sora called out, pushing through as he muttered 'excuse me'.

Upon hearing her name, Anna looked out and grinned, waving enthusiastically at Sora who came walking towards her.

"Sora!" she called out.

"Hey!"

"Come. Come. You must meet my sister!" she said eagerly.

"Sis—woah!" Sora exclaimed as he got yanked by Anna's pull. She dragged him until she reached at the front, pulling Sora to the front though he stumbled and he barely caught his balance.

This surprised Elsa from the sudden visit but she made a soft smile as Anna introduced him to her.

"Elsa," Anna made a small curtsy. "This is Sora! Sora, this is Elsa, my sister—er Queen. Well, she's still my sister but just as a higher position and I'll stop talking."

Elsa laughed, grinning.

Sora looked up only to have blue eyes meeting his. For a moment, he was lost in her stare as she had a pale complexion with rosy cheeks. During this moment, it took Sora a minute to realize that he was staring rather oddly and he shook his head, fumbling over his words before he kneeled down on his knees, making Elsa widened her eyes.

"Uhm, Queen—er, your Majesty!" he stuttered, bowing down.

Elsa grinned. "You can stand up now," she laughed. "Trust me, I'm getting used to all of this formality so I'm just slightly uncomfortable at all the bowing…"

"Huh? Oh…uhm…sorry," he stammered as he straightened himself up.

Way to go, Sora. In less than a second, he already made a fool out of himself. And to a Queen, much less.

"Erm…I'm Sora," Sora awkwardly introduced himself. He was about to speak until a voice came.

"Sora?"

He turned around only to see that it was his friends who looked surprised though Kairi blushed a little by his different appearance.

"Damn, Sora," Riku grinned. "Look at you. In that suit, you'll get a girl in less than a second," he laughed which made Sora blushed while Elsa raised an eyebrow, blinking.

"Riku," Sora hissed.

Riku let out a shaky laugh before he eyed at the new Queen where he gave a nod, slightly bowing.

"Your Majesty."

Elsa bowed back, accepting his respects.

"Ahem."

Everyone (except for Sora, Elsa and Anna) turned around to see a short man with glasses with a dignitary uniform that contained of a dark blue coat with gold lining, wavy patterns on the collar followed by medals on his coat and a red sash hanging diagonally of his left shoulder. He also had grey pants with black boots and white gloves.

Next to him was the messenger.

"Your Majesty. The Duke of Weaseltown!"

"Weselton!" the short man scowled and he cleared his throat. "Your Majesty. As your closet partner in trade it seems only fitting that I offer you your first dance as queen. A one. A two," he said before he began to flip at different angles.

The group stared at the man with stunned looks on their faces as Sora and Riku exchanged looks, giving out shaky laughs underneath their breaths. Elsa and Anna also giggled, muffled ones when a part of the man's hair fell out, showing his bald spot.

The two cleared their throats and Elsa spoke.

"Thank you," Elsa thanked him. "Only I don't dance…"

"Oh…" the man said, a bit disappointed.

"But my sister does, on the other hand."

Anna laughed, dismissing it. "Oh, I don't really—"

"Lucky you!"

Anna gasped as she suddenly got pulled away, stumbling over her feet. She would've knocked out the others if they hadn't moved though Anna turned around, giving them a helpless look as Elsa grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry," she mouthed.

Sora grinned. "Poor Anna."

Elsa laughed though Sora eyed Kairi who stared ahead. Smiling, Sora slid in between and tapped on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Sora extending his hand out.

"Mi'lady," Sora grinned.

Kairi laughed but accepted his hand. "You're a goofball."

The two walked away, going to the dance floor while Donald and Goofy nodded with approval as Riku smirked playfully. However, Donald made a small chuckle.

"Hey, since we're here, why don't we join the dance floor?" Riku suggested.

Donald snorted. "Only if you know how to waltz, I'll pass."

"Aww, come on. It's easy. It'll be fun," Riku smirked and he yanked Donald by his arm which made Donald let out an exclaim. Goofy turned around, bowing his respect and then he left to join them just as Anna came back.

Elsa laughed. "You okay?"

Meanwhile at the dance floor, Kairi was rather having a great time and who knew Sora could dance? He was rather dressed handsomely and both the suit and color suits him perfectly. She grinned when a twirl was made and she let out a small 'oh!' when she suddenly got dipped.

"Surprised?" Sora grinned.

Kairi shook her head, rolling her eyes. "I never knew you were capable of dancing."

"Hey, you underestimate me," Sora pouted slightly before having that silly grin on his face. "You know I'm good at everything," he boasted playfully.

"Yeah sure…"

The two resumed waltzing where Sora created another twirl but as he did, he saw Anna, with a saddened face, walking through the crowds. Frowning, Sora wondered what happened to cause her be upset but because she was looking at the ground, she didn't saw that a woman accidentally bumped into her. Sora was about to make a move in order to catch her but another person came in, catching Anna.

Sora recognized him from earlier. The two shared a small talk before they left, leaving Sora to shrug.

"Hey, let's go outside for a bit," Sora muttered in Kairi's ear and she nodded.

It was getting a bit hot and more people seemed to be joining the floor, having the Queen stare at them with a mournful look.

* * *

Sora breathed out the fresh air. It wasn't too chilly but it wasn't warm at all; it was just right. A small breeze came, making everything be perfect. Sora placed his hands on the rails of the balcony and he gazed up at the starry night sky. There wasn't even a cloud in the sky; it was only filled with thousands of stars, twinkling from above.

Sora closed his eyes and his mind went back to the small flashback he had. The same image appeared in his head, having him open his eyes again with a concerned look.

Who was that person beside him? Was it someone he knew?

Sora sighed. He didn't know, having his gaze stare down at the garden only to be interrupted by Kairi.

"Sora?" Kairi spoke softly and he turned around to see her.

She seemed…awkward.

"I…I had a nice time," Kairi said, smiling a little. She then looked at him. "Thank you."

Softening his tense expression, Sora walked towards her with his head down.

"Uhm…you're welcome," Sora said quietly as he looked up, gazing into Kairi's eyes.

Sora suddenly felt weird. Mixed emotions were turning him over and his stomach felt queasy despite the fact it was getting a bit harder to breath. His heart pumped rapidly than before and both of them started to move closer until their lips were only an inch away from each other.

However, a voice yelled which made them withdrew quickly. Their faces were heated though they stared at the door which was opened.

"Elsa!"

That sounded like Anna.

Quickly, Sora bolted right on the spot, heading inside as he left Kairi. Biting her lip, Kairi shortly joined him as she tried to forget the scene that had happened a few seconds ago.

Once inside, Sora began to call out his friends.

"Riku! Donald! Goofy!" he cried out.

"Sora!"

The trio came rushing towards him but as Sora ran, he unexpectedly slipped, falling down to the floor.

"Sora!"

Kairi gasped as she also slipped but before she could fall down, Sora grabbed her from behind, allowing her to tumble on his lap.

"What happened?" Sora asked.

"Elsa…Anna…" Riku panted, having his hands rested on his knees.

"What about them?"

Sora turned around and just now realized that the front entrance was covered by…ice? Ice with spikes that looked too dangerous to get near them. Sora frowned.

"Ice? Where did that come from?" he asked confused.

"Yeah about that…it actually came from Elsa," Riku answered. "All of a sudden, we heard shouting from Anna and we saw Elsa walking away. But I'm assuming, Anna pushed her buttons too far and Elsa sort of went…berserk…and that's where the ice came from," Riku pointed to the blockage.

"Where are they now?"

Riku shrugged. "The last time anyone saw them, they both exited out of the room. However, that Weaseltown guy accused Elsa being of a monster and now everyone's frightened of her."

Kairi scowled. "Now I know something's fishy about him. I was right."

It was then where Kairi realized that she was still in Sora's arms. Gasping, she quickly pulled away which left poor Sora confuse at the sudden reaction, scratching in confusion.

Girls are really strange sometimes.

Shaking his head out of his thoughts, Sora scrambled up. "We gotta find them," he said as he helped Kairi up.

Sora then looked to the icy blockage until an idea came to mind though he had to whisper it.

"Hey uh…do you think you could destroy the ice with your Keyblade?" Sora asked quietly.

Riku hesitated. Back then, it seemed a good idea but then, Riku realized that these people are probably not accustomed to sorcery as shown a few seconds ago. He looked at the crowd; they were still tense and a bit frightened and all eyes wandered on them as though they were expecting their help.

"Uhm, Sora. I don't using anymore attempts of magic is a good idea especially when the people are not accustomed to it in any shape or form," Riku replied. "When the ice happened, they were all scared."

Sora sighed, lowering his head down as he was at a loss now. No. He won't stop. Eyes narrowed, he stared at the entrance.

"Then I got another idea," Sora proclaimed.

"What?"

Going back a bit, Sora then broke into a run which gave the group blank stares until Riku realized that he was going for a jump to go over the spikes.

"Sora."

Not able to hear him, Sora jumped with the right timing although one of the front spikes nearly made a cut at his ankle by an inch. He landed on the ground before he exited through the front door.

"He's crazy!" Riku hissed but nonetheless followed his idea.

Once outside, Sora suddenly felt that something was wrong. Very wrong indeed. It wasn't the fact where the outside crowd seemed to be fearful but the air itself…it felt _cold_.

"A bit cold for summer, don't you think?" Riku asked once he joined Sora.

"Yeah…" Sora replied as he stared at the gloomy distance ahead. There was some sort of uneasy vibe around the air as well as though it felt like it was going to threaten them ominously. As Sora looked around, he heard voices from the crowd.

"…Did you know?"

"No…"

Sora looked diagonally right and saw Anna and the guy walking forward while Anna was wrapping her arms, trying to keep herself warm.

"Anna!" Sora cried out, running towards her. "Are you okay? Elsa—"

Anna looked up, staring into Sora before she spoke in a quiet tone which made Sora strain his ears in order to hear her.

"She's gone…" she whispered.

* * *

Elsa shut her eyes tightly as it was getting harder to breath. How did this happen all of a sudden? All she knew was that Anna was yelling at her where Elsa pleaded her for to stop but she wouldn't and then she…sort of lost control. She didn't mean it but now, she can't take it back.

What is she going to do?

She though running up to the North Mountain would be better and she hoped that it would unthaw Arendelle. Maybe it did.

But deep down, there was a nagging feeling. A feeling where she wanted to _forget_.

"Well now. What do we have here? A Queen who is in despair?"

Gasping, Elsa looked up as she saw a red cloud of smoke appeared from nowhere which made Elsa take a step back. Sure she knows magic but this one is…unfamiliar to her.

Out of the smoke, a woman emerged, smiling gleefully though it made Elsa tense. That smile meant no good.

She inhaled a breath, straightening herself up and looked straight into the eye. No. She's not going to let a stranger know about her being weak.

"Who are you?" she demanded in a strong tone. It would've worked. It would've intimidated people but the woman stared at her before she let out a loud howling laughter which got Elsa confuse.

"Ohh, sweetcakes. You got me there for a second. That was pretty good, I'll grant you that but not _enough_ to make a more sinister person—like me—to tremble, dearie. Tsk, not enough power. Know what I mean?" the stranger said, shaking her head.

"I will not ask again," Elsa replied as she narrowed her eyes dangerously while summoning her powers from her hidden hand.

"Oh?" she said, placing a hand on her hip. "And what are you going to do about it? Throw some lame ice power at me whom you can't control?"

Elsa widened her eyes, cancelling her attack. "How did you—"

"How did I know? Oh please, honey. You underestimate me! I know _all_. I know you're the one who freezes Arendelle, who struck your sister Anna at her head when you were little…but it was an _accident_ though no one seemed to understand. Pity. They locked you up, kept you away from people, _told_ you to embrace when really…"

Elsa let out a small gasp when the woman appeared behind her, whispering in her ear. "When you should learn to _let it go_."

"Let it…go?"

"Why of course, dearie!" the woman exclaimed, disappearing only to show up in front of her again. "Your parents never saw you for yourself. They only saw you for what you're really are. To them at least. You're nothing more than a monster, feared by the citizens, feared by your parents. They only adored Anna which was why they wanted to shut you out from her. They didn't want a monster for a sister. They would be _ashamed_!"

"No…" Elsa whimpered. She fell down to her knees, covering her ears with her hands.

Smiling maliciously, Cruella continued. "Go on then. Continue to deny yourself to the harsh truth. You know why they locked the gates."

Elsa let out a shaky breath as she whispered, letting her hands fall. "They only closed the gates because they thought they were protecting…"

"Protecting from _you_."

Elsa shut her eyes tight as she gritted her teeth, clenching her fists from anger. Growling, she reopened her eyes, shooting the woman a dangerous look as she snarled.

"NO!" she snarled, getting up and released her power.

However, the woman merely blocked it with a one wave of her arm which made Elsa widened her eyes. The stranger stared down at her with an unnerving look and she made a small scoff.

"Pathetic," the woman replied.

Elsa breathed, slightly taking a step back. She took a breath and felt an odd sensation although she shouldn't. Normally, people would be freezing right now and she only had a cape and dress that wasn't very warm despite being it long-sleeved but…

The cold didn't bothered her.

Smiling softly, Elsa dropped her arm down while she also took off her other glove.

"You're wrong," she spoke with a new tone. A determined one. She felt the adrenaline rush that started to course throughout her body as she prepared her attack.

She raised both of her hands up so that a blue color engulfed her hands, indicating that she was ready to strike. Growling, Elsa released the powerful streak though Cruella blocked it, pushing it to the side.

"That's it!" Cruella shouted. "Unleash your anger! Unleash your power!"

Wanting to destroy her, Elsa resumed firing huge blasts of ice but Cruella kept on blocking it. However, raging with fury, Elsa made her glow even brighter and she was able to lift the snow from the ground where she made it into a large terrifying wave with a petrifying face where even Cruella seemed to stop for a brief moment until she realized she only had a few seconds to either block or cancel it.

Going with a quick reaction, Cruella threw up a shield but it seemed that it didn't helped since the tsunami-like ice pierced right through the shield like glass. It broke into shards, forcing Cruella drop her act and she fell down to the ground. Elsa panted though Cruella let out a cackle, a mad gleam glinted in her mad eyes.

"See? See what you could do?" she laughed out loud. "Embrace yourself! Forget what those other ingrates think about you! They only drag you down! I _can_ help you!" she replied madly as she extended her hand out.

Elsa stared at her hand, hesitant.

"Don't be afraid! Let your inner demons decide what is right for you!"

She's…right. In a twisted way. The others seemed to have drag her down, always telling her what to do…

Always being the _good girl_ she always have to be.

Making her decision, Elsa grabbed her hand and she was pulled out as Cruella laughed insanely. Cruella let go of her hand, raising hers up.

"Go ahead, dear! Go get what is rightfully yours!" she shouted as she was disappearing in a massive cloud of power that began to engulf her. The only thing that was echoing as she was vanishing was her mad cackling laugh until it faded with the wind.

Feeling a new sense of determination, Elsa made her hands go upwards and then, the ground began to shake as a massive snowflake was being released from her tremendous power.

 **Author's Note:** Cruella, you're good. Whew, I thought this was never going to end aha XD So Elsa ran away, met Cruella (although she doesn't know her name…yet). The gang now knows what happened back at the castle, Sora and Kairi nearly kissed but didn't…*waits to see an angry mob* which leaves the question…what happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	24. The Search Begins

Chapter 22: The Search Begins

"Wait…so let me get this straight," Sora said. "You want _us_ to come with you to find Elsa?"

Anna nodded, hopefully. She pulled the sleeves of the cape from what Hans—as Sora had finally learned his name—gave her. Hell, Sora was still even trying to register that Anna had gotten _married_ right on the _spot_. Who does that?

Oh wait…

"I can go with you as well," Hans offered.

Anna shook her head, giving a small smile. "No, I need you here to take care of Arendelle."

Hans nodded. "On my Honor."

"Bring me horses," Anna said and Sora heard a person saying 'yes.'

Anna hesitated. "Will you come with me?"

Sora made a small pause before he nodded. "Yeah. Yes. Of course, we will. We will bring Elsa home. Return everything normal, right guys?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

It was cold.

The minute they entered the path, they were met nothing with harsh wind that gnawed at their faces. Flurries of snow howled with the wind as it beat against their faces; their skin turning red from the cold as their fingers were numb.

"It…is…cold!" Riku complained, shuddering.

Anna lifted a hand in front of her face to try to block at least some of the harsh wind that were thrown at them as she stared ahead.

"We've got to make it!" Anna shouted.

"Anna, there's no way we can survive through this," Sora yelled over the loud howling wind.

"But we have to. I won't stop until I bring Elsa home."

Sora sighed, sniffing though that only made Riku grin.

"I think someone's catching a cold."

"I'm not catch—AEICHOO!" Sora sneezed suddenly, startling Riku as he blinked with surprise.

Riku laughed from the sudden sneeze, shaking his head with amusement. "Right…"

Sora sniffed, feeling rather squeamish. "Ungh…"

Donald snickered. "Aww, someone feeling a little down?"

Sora sneered, muttering under his breath and he slightly urged his horse to continue.

"Come on, boy. You can do it," Sora muttered but he frowned when he saw the horse unable to continue. "We have to turn back. Our horses are too cold to continue. They have to go back."

Anna sighed as she stared ahead. As the horse stopped walking, a creaking noise was heard and all of a sudden, the snow broke through the tree's branches, plopping it down to the ground. As a result, the horse neighed with fright, throwing off Anna from fear and then he took off.

"Steady, boy. Steady!" Sora exclaimed, trying to ease the horse. "Anna, are you okay?" he trotted towards her.

"Yeah…I'm o—okay…" Anna shivered. "Who doesn't want to have deep snow in their clothes?"

Sora smiled faintly as he helped her up, allowing her to sit at the back of the saddle, behind him.

"Right guys. Let's go," Sora called from the front.

As they rode further up, it began to be colder than it was before and the harsh wind started to be picked up as a blizzard. However, Sora began to feel uncomfortable as they went further up. Even the horses can sense it.

Something sinister was here.

"Does anyone else feels that?" Sora asked as the group lined up.

Riku stared ahead as goosebumps appeared but he shrugged it off nonetheless. It must be from the cold, right?

"Sora, I don't think there's—argh!"

Much like what had happened to Anna, Riku's horse threw him off as the horse neighed, kicking his feet high into the air while standing on his hind legs. The others seemed to have trouble controlling them as well.

"Steady! Steady!" Kairi yelled.

In clouds of black smoke, strange beings appeared out of nowhere which spooked the horses; all of them throwing off their owners and took the other direction, leaving them alone.

"Sorry," Sora muttered, unscrambling himself from Anna.

"It's alright. But what are those?" Anna asked.

"Erm…"

Needless to say, Sora wasn't quite sure how to put it since he doesn't know what exactly they are.

"They're called Faceless; all we know is that they're powerful," Riku answered.

"We're not calling them," Donald muttered as he readied his weapon. Seeing that there's too many of them, Riku shouted.

"Sora, take Anna and Kairi out!" he ordered.

"What? No! I can fight!" Sora called out.

"For once in your life, do as I say!"

Sora growled. He really didn't like leaving them behind but if he could get Anna and Kairi to safety then he would be alright and could come back to fight. Sighing, Sora took Kairi's hand and pulled them forward.

"Let's go!" Sora commanded though Kairi simply stayed back, pulling her hand back.

Sora turned around and faced Kairi with a stunned look. "Kairi…?" he shook his head. "Come on. We've got to go."

"Go," she said sternly. "Take Anna. Get Elsa. Go."

"But—"

"SORA! Just do it!"

Hesitated, Sora stared at her. He was in all honesty worried for her. Worried that she would probably get injured. Growling, Sora shut his eyes tight before pushing Anna forward. The last thing Sora saw was having a bunch of Faceless being thrown upon Kairi, piling her underneath them followed by a loud voice.

"KAIRI!"

* * *

Riku stared angrily at the group of Faceless who seemed to be taunting him. Taunting him that he just lost a friend and couldn't protected her. Growling dangerously, Riku let out a charge yell with his Keyblade raised up as he was clutching the handle with both hands, ready to strike.

He was about to run towards them until Donald stopped him.

"Wait."

"But—"

Riku followed his gaze and up to where Kairi had been buried, there were suddenly flashes of light, slicing its way through the darkness until on the last slice, the enemies were thrown off before they landed on the ground with a rough impact and they disappeared.

There, it revealed a smirking Kairi but the thing that got everyone's attention was the fact that a Keyblade was in her hand. Smirking, Kairi stood up and flicked her hair to the side.

"What?" she asked as she noticed the stares.

"Uh…nothing. Nothing," Riku replied, giving her a strange look.

"Right. Now, let's finish this!"

* * *

"Sora!" Anna called out. "Sora! Stop…"

"What?" Sora panted as he came to halt, breathing heavily. With all the running, it should at least keep Sora warm.

"We should be safe here— _ACHOO!_ " Sora snuffed.

And from this cold too.

"Wait, wait," Anna said. "Who were those? What were those? What were those things your friends were holding? _Who_ exactly are you?"

"Anna, please…" Sora replied, shutting his eyes tight. It was too cold to think. Taking a sharp breath, Sora leaned against a tree as he tried to get his mind in order. He wrapped himself with his hands in attempt to save the warmth as he was still shivering.

"Those…guys…" Sora replied, letting out a breath. "They're what we called Faceless, a group of enemies from darkness. Who they work for I don't know. We only know so little about them. Similar to your sister, in a way, we are magic wielders. Those Keyblades what you just saw…they allows us to magical abilities to defeat creatures of darkness," Sora sighed. "It's a really long story; I don't think we have that sort of time to explain."

Anna nodded. "Alright…at least I still have some idea as to what's happening…sort of," she said, a bit unsure.

Sora flashed her a smile and he lowered his head. He hoped his friends were alright. Sure, these new foes are stronger but Riku and the others are even stronger. Braver. Bolder.

Sora shook his head, eyes narrowed with determined.

No.

They _are_ alright.

He was about to speak until a noise came which earned both of their attentions.

"Wh—what was that?" Anna asked, taking a step back.

Eyes narrowed, Sora stepped in front of Anna and took in a fighting stance. He peered through the thick snowfall and the trees but the air around them was tense. Whatever it was, it could jump right at them.

"Anna, on my count, you run. Forget about me. You run to safety and to shelter, alright?"

"But—"

"I need your word."

Anna hesitated but nodded nevertheless. "Alright."

Sora resumed staring ahead, ready to fight if needed. "One…two…"

And then, just like that, Sora yelled 'run!' though Anna shouted 'wait!' But it was too late since Sora had already ran forward, ready to give out his attack. However, what he didn't expect was to be so easily be trip, forcing him fall to the ground. He was about to get up only to have something pinning his arms behind his back and a blade was pointing right at Sora's neck, preventing him to move any further.

"Wait!" Anna panted as she caught up to him.

"Riku, no!"

Sora widened his eyes. "Riku?"

And there was Riku who had Sora's arms behind his back, bringing down his Keyblade near Sora's neck. Riku widened his eyes from shock and he lowered his arm while Sora gaped at him.

"Oh…" Riku breathed. "Sorry…I thought…never mind," he replied sheepishly.

Riku got off and allowed Sora to get up but as he did Sora noticed the dull gleam from another Keyblade. He made a soft smile as he figured out who belonged to.

"Kairi, you got your Keyblade," Sora nodded.

Kairi grinned. "Yeah, I did!"

Donald breathed out a sigh of relief. "Whew, no harm done!"

"Speak for yourself," Sora muttered as he rubbed his wrist. "But you guys are okay!"

Riku smirked as he put the Keyblade on his shoulder. "Of course we are. Come on, Sora. Put a little faith on us."

Sora smiled softly. Once they had been reunited, they resumed walking down the hill until Goofy looked up. The sun was long gone since the night settled in, having stars twinkle in the sky. It seemed that the blizzard was slowly dying down but that doesn't mean it still wasn't falling and the fact that Sora was still sneezing.

"Ungh…I hate this cold man," Sora complained as he snuffed.

"Aww, is wittle Sora cold? Don't worry. Let Riku take care of you," Riku cooed. Sora threw him a dirty look.

"You're so annoying."

Goofy stared at the distance but it wasn't the view that grabbed his attention. It was the fact that there was a trail floating in the night sky which made him frown.

"Gawrsh guys…look at that," he said as he pointed to the trail of smoke.

"It's smoke," Kairi said.

"And usually when there's smoke, it's either a campfire or—"Riku started.

"Or a small Cottage house," Donald finished.

"Let's go!" Anna said excitedly, eager to get out of this cold and so that she doesn't end up like Sora here who was coughing and sneezing.

"Ngh…please…" Sora pleaded.

And the group began to walk down the hall but unfortunately for Anna, she didn't looked where she was going and as a result, Anna was sent tumbling down the hill which surprised the group unexpectedly.

"Anna!"

"Wh—woah!"

 _Ker-splash!_

Anna finally stopped rolling only to roll into a small pond which was _freezing._

"Anna!" Riku shouted as he slid down the hill, stopping to a halt once he reached at the bottom. He extended his hand where Anna took out.

"Thanks," she sniffed before she stiffly turned the other way and headed towards where the smoke was coming from but there wasn't a house or a campfire. There was only a small wooden store, having lights to show the visitors the way. Snow had also covered the sign as well.

"Huh, a store. Maybe we could hang in there for a while," Riku said.

They reached the store even though they were still shivering. Sora breathed in as the warmth greeted their body and he took this chance to warm himself up.

"Yoo-hoo!"

Everyone stared at the side to see a bulky guy with a mustache with sideburns followed by having strawberry hair.

"Big summer blowout, yah?"

Sora stared at the man with a blank look on his face. "Summer…? Er, listen buddy. I don't know if you noticed but it's winter out there. You know…snow…blizzard… _ACHOO_!" Sora sneezed, making the group jump. "Ungh…cold."

Riku sighed. "Geez Sora…you're all gonna give us a heart attack with your sneezing," he muttered.

"Shut it."

"And we do have a cure for cold," the man replied as he showed Sora the bottle.

Sora stared at it skeptically. "I'll pass…"

"Hmmm…and we also have a sauna," he replied as he motioned to the right. Anna followed his gaze only to wave back at the people who were in there.

"I'm fine," Sora replied flatly before he joined Anna, whispering in her ear. "Why are we here?"

"Uh…oh! Uhm, do you have any boots? Winter boots and dresses?" Anna asked.

"That would be in our winter department," the man said as he motioned to the small area behind them.

"Oh…" Anna blinked. She then walked towards the area, picking up some items such as cloaks and boots and other things before putting it on the counter.

"I'll pay," Sora muttered as he began to fish out.

"No, no. It's okay," Anna insisted, stopping him. "Uhm, by the way. You haven't saw another young woman…the queen perhaps, I don't know…passed through here?"

"The only one crazy enough to be out in this storm is you, dear."

As they were about to pay, the door suddenly got opened and they all turned to stare at it only to see a man that was covered from head to toe from snow. He shivered, stomping his feet so that the snow fell off as he brushed some of it off.

"Man, its cold," the visitor muttered.

"And this fellow too," Oaken said. "Yoo-hoo, big summer blowout."

The newcomer ignored the stares from the group as Sora grabbed the cloak while Anna leaned against the counter, trying to avoid the awkward silence. However, the man simply stared at Anna who pretended not to notice it.

"Carrots," the man spoke, earning Anna's attention.

"Huh?"

"Behind you."

Blinking, Anna looked behind and grinned sheepishly as she moved out of the way. He then picked them up, putting it on the counter as he went to another department.

"Oh, a real howler in July, yes? Wherever could it be coming from?" Oaken asked.

"The North Mountain," he answered.

Anna widened her eyes as she gazed at Sora. Maybe he could help them.

"The North Mountain," Anna muttered.

"That will be forty," Oaken said.

"What?" the man spluttered. "Forty? No, ten!"

"Oh dear, that's no good. See, this is from our winter stock, where supply and demand have a big problem."

"You want to talk about a supply and demand? I sell ice for living!"

"Oh, that's rough business to be in right now. I mean, that's really…that's unfortunate," Anna said before shutting her mouth as the man glared at her. The others awkwardly stood there as they watched the scene.

"That's still forty but I'll thrown in a visit to Oaken's sauna. Yoo-hoo. Hi, family."

"Yoo-hoo!"

"Ten is all I got. Help me out," the man bargained.

"Okay," Oaken said as he swapped only for the carrots. "Ten will you get this and no more."

Curious, Anna spoke. He mentioned the North Mountain where Elsa could very well be…somewhere.

"Ask him about the North Mountain," Sora whispered.

She nodded. "Okay, just tell me one thing," Anna said. "What was happening on the North Mountain? Did it seem magical?"

Annoyed, the man took off his scarf, glaring at her. "Yes! It seemed magical both evil and good. Now back up, while I deal with this crook."

The group seemed to pause from hesitation as he mentioned _evil_. They knew he could possibly mean by the group of Faceless they had encountered but the way he said it, it sounded as though there was _more_ than one evil…but perhaps they should be more focused on the shop owner since he suddenly got up, suddenly being larger than what he appears to be and Sora felt…intimidated.

"What did you just call me?"

Within a second, the owner picked up the man so easily and he protested as he got carried away as the group cautiously watched Oaken.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry—ow!"

Oaken then went back in, closing the door and went back to his seat. "Erm…sorry about this violence," he apologized. "I will add a quart of lutefisk so we have good feelings. Just the outfit and the boots, yah?"

"Uhm…"

* * *

"You honestly think he will help us?" Sora asked as they trudged down the path that would lead them to a small barn. As they approached to it, they could hear singing which made them stop and they all shared a look.

"…Reindeers are better than people. Sven, don't you think I'm right?"

Anna shrugged. "I guess you sing when you're lonely?" she laughed sheepishly.

Sora frowned. "I don't think he's alone."

Sighing, Anna made a determined look. "You guys wait here…I'll deal with him."

"Alright."

As Anna vanished, Sora sighed as he leaned against the wall, staring down. What other evil could there possibly be at the North Mountain? Of course, there would be those Faceless but could it be possible that Cruella was here? His look darkened just by mentioning her name. One thing's for sure, Cruella was far more sinister than Maleficent. He wondered if Maleficent was also on this hunt.

He slightly widened his eyes as he recalled the flashback when they first entered Arendelle on the boat. That woman…seemed so familiar…

"Alright," Anna's voice snapped Sora out of his thoughts. "He's going to take us to the North Mountain."

 **Author's Note:** …you know, I've always wondered what had happened to Sora's parents…did they forget about him because of Chain of Memories? I hope we'll find out in KH3. But anywho, they finally found Kristoff who reluctantly agreed to take them to North Mountain, Sora got a cold XD and Kairi kicked ass but it's NOT the Kairi we all had grown to. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	25. Childhood Memories

Chapter 23: Childhood Memories

"Hang on! We like to go fast!"

Anna laughed as she placed her feet up. "I like going fast."

"Woah, woah! Get your feet down!" Kristoff—they had finally learned his name and that he has a reindeer named Sven—"This is fresh lacquer! Seriously, were you raised in a barn?" he said as he spat on the wood to make it clean again.

"Ugh," Anna said disgusted as she wiped off the spit. "No. I was raised in a castle."

While Anna was at the front, the others were at the cart. Some of them were listening to their conversation while the others were minding their own business.

" _ACHOO!_ Ungh…" Sora snuffed.

"Hey, don't get your sickness near me. I don't want to get affected," Donald grumbled. He wasn't too happy with this weather; it wasn't his forte.

Sora rolled his eyes at the drama from Donald. "Believe me, it wasn't my intention to get sick. I hate winter."

Riku smirked. "Should've taken up the remedy Oaken offered you."

Sora dismissed it with his hand. "I'll be fine. I'm sure it's just a 24 hour flu— _AEICHOO!"_

Riku laughed. "Something tells me it isn't."

Sighing, Sora ignored him though he gave a glance to the side and saw Kairi shivering slightly but she didn't seemed to mind it. Sora took off the cloak and wrapped it around her which took her by surprise.

"Uh…thanks—"

"Don't mention it."

"…You mean to tell me you got _engaged_ to someone you just met that day?" Kristoff asked incredulous.

This seemed to perk everyone's attention. Now, they know more about why the Queen went all ice crazy.

"Yes. Pay attention. But the thing is, she wore the gloves all the time, so I just thought, maybe she has a thing about dirt."

"Didn't your parents ever warn you about strangers?"

Anna looked at him in a more skeptic way as she scooted over. "Er…yes they did. But Hans is _not_ a stranger!"

Just by hearing his name made Sora scowled. There's something about that guy that made Sora tick him off. It wasn't his 'dreamy personality' as how Anna described him but something else.

"Oh yeah? What's his last name?" Kristoff challenged.

"Of the Southern Isles," Anna shot back, automatically knowing where this was going. If it's a challenge he wants, then he'll get it.

"What's his favorite food?"

"Sandwiches."

"His best friend's name?"

"Probably John."

"Eye color?"

"Dreamy."

"Foot size?"

Anna huffed, annoyed. "Foot size doesn't matter."

"Have you had a meal with him yet? What if you hate the way he eats? What if you hate the way he picks his nose?"

"Picks his nose?" Anna said, disgusted.

"And eats it," Kristoff responded slyly.

"Excuse me sir, he is a _prince_!"

Kristoff chuckled. "All men do it."

"Ew!"

Riku snorted. "I think you mean _most_ men do it. I for one don't although I don't know about Sora…ow! Kidding! Kidding!"

Kairi chuckled though there was a searing pain that suddenly came into her head, making her hiss.

"Ah!" Kairi hissed as she clutched her head with one hand. She winced, shutting her eyes as she was trying to breathe.

"Hey…you okay?" Sora asked, concerned.

"Y—yeah…" she said shakily but this didn't went unnoticed from Riku who narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kairi.

He still has a sinister feeling about her which was odd. The Kairi he knew didn't had that kind of aura so why did she suddenly has it? Riku went back to the part where they were Traverse Town when Kairi took off.

He didn't know why it took so long for Kairi to return but she seemed fine once she came back.

Noticing that someone was staring at her, Kairi gazed forward and saw Riku giving her a hard stare. The two shared a moment before Donald looked around, suddenly finding out that they were slowing down.

"Hey, why are we slowing down?" Donald asked.

"Shh…" Kristoff said as he took his lantern and looked around. The others started to notice it too. Something was disturbing here… Even Sven froze in his spot as he could sense it.

Goofy looked back, staring through the darkness until yellow eyes appeared which made Goofy be tense.

"Uh guys…there's something out there," Goofy responded as the light from the lantern shone at the view. Kristoff squinted his eyes only to widen them once he found out what it was.

Quickly, Kristoff placed the lantern back and grabbed the reins.

"What? What happened?" Anna asked.

"Sven, go! Go!" Kristoff urged him.

Sensing the urge, Sven wasted no time in running away since he automatically began to pick up speed which nearly threw Goofy off though Riku caught him.

"What are they?" Anna asked.

"Wolves," he answered.

"Wolves?"

Sure enough, a pack of wolves began to emerge out of darkness, chasing them. Riku narrowed his eyes as an idea came to his mind followed by a light which appeared at his hand.

"We've got this. You just worry about getting out of here safely," Riku said.

"Uh, alright."

"Get back you confounded wolf!" Donald exclaimed as he whipped his weapon at the wolf so that it staggered back.

" _Ragh_!" Kairi yelled as she wacked the wolf away with a banjo.

"Hey! That's my banjo you're hitting with!" Kristoff shouted.

Unexpectedly, Kristoff was forced to take a sharp swerve which made the group tumbled backwards, hitting at the back of the cart.

"Ungh…watch how you're steering!" Riku growled as he kicked himself up and then he slashed his Keyblade through the air so that he wacked the wolf away. It did some damage but not enough to actually kill it.

Because of the steer, it forced Sora tumble out of his seat and began to plunge out.

"Sora!" Kairi and Anna shouted.

Anna turned around to glare at Kristoff. "Really, Kristoff!"

"Hey, it's not my fault how this mountain was made."

She made her way towards him, extending her hand out so that she could grab his. As she grabbed his hand, Sora let out a small cry as one of the wolves' claw scratched at his back but one of the other wolves from behind made an attempt to lunge. But before it could even attack Kairi, something wacked it away, leaving it to howl from pain as it stumbled backwards.

"Huh?"

"You guys okay?" Riku asked as he helped Sora up who stumbled forward, leaning into Riku.

"Yeah, thanks," Kairi grinned but her grin faltered when another wolf jumped, going towards Sora. "Sora, watch out!"

Without thinking, when the wolf was close enough, Kairi stuck her hand out so that it slightly touched the wolf's fur. She growled, having a dark power emitted out of her hand. It blasted the animal away though Riku widened his eyes as he gaped at the scene. He didn't knew Kairi could do that.

Huffing, Kairi turned around only to find Riku staring at her with a stun expression. She winced. She was in a whole trouble.

"Guys, hang on! We're gonna jump!" Kristoff shouted. "I want every one of you to come at the front."

"Jump? What do you mean jump?" Goofy asked.

From the voices, it made Riku tore his gaze away (much to Kairi's relief although she doubt Riku would let it go) and he widened his eyes.

"There's a cliff up ahead!" he cried out. "Sora, get going you lazy butt," he growled, picking up Sora and then before he could even protest, Riku threw Sora to the other side so that a painful thud came, making Sora groan.

"Man…that hurts!" he complained. "There goes my backside."

"Kairi, you're next."

Anna let out a yelp as she was also got thrown on Sven. "Hey!"

When everyone was beside Kristoff, Kristoff suddenly let out an exclaim as he was unexpectedly dragged away by the wolf who grabbed his sleeve, pulling him away.

"Christopher!" Anna shouted.

"It's Kristoff! Ow! Ow!"

Riku quickly looked around at the wagon before he grabbed the torch which was in Donald's hand when Kristoff got pulled.

"What are you—"

"Not now."

Riku climbed back to the wagon and lit up what it looked like a rolled up sleeping bag.

"Kristoff, duck!"

"What— _argh_!"

Riku threw the bag which knocked the wolves away and he pulled him up, pulling the rope as he helped Kristoff.

"Whew…thanks…" Kristoff breathed.

"Uh guys…the cliff is on is way!" Anna called out.

Just by mentioning the cliff, Kristoff made his way while pulling Riku as well. When the cliff was getting near, Kristoff shouted.

"Jump, Sven!" he replied as he cut off the rope. At once, Sven jumped though the others shouted as the wolves slide to a halt. Kristoff looked down and then stared forward.

"Everyone, else! Jump!" he shouted before he jumped out of the seat.

Everyone followed in pursuit and they reached at the edge of the cliff. Riku was quick to get up on his feet and he began to pull Kairi up before he made his way to drag Sora, Donald and Goofy up. But by the time he came to Kristoff, Kristoff was already slipping and Riku made a dive in attempt to rescue him.

"Kristoff!" Riku yelled but his hand slipped away by an inch. However, a thud came and Riku widened his eyes with a stun look on his face when he saw the axel, being close to him.

"Climb!"

Not thinking twice, Kristoff grabbed the item and was being pulled along with Riku helping out. Once on the surface, Kristoff sprawled out, exhausted.

Anna ran down, joining him. She then looked up only to see that the sleigh was lit on fire. She felt bad.

"Uhm…I'll replace your sleigh and everything that was in it. And I understand if you don't want to help me anymore," Anna said as she looked up. "You too guys…"

The group, who were still on the snow, stared at her as she walked away. Saddened, Sven nudged his head against Kristoff who groaned.

"Of course, I don't want to help her anymore. In fact, this whole thing has ruined me for helping anyone ever again."

"I think you're being harsh on her," Sora said as he joined him. He then peered down below to see the sleigh burning. "Oh…"

"But she'll die on her own," Kristoff pretended that Sven was talking which earned a concerned look from Sora.

Nevertheless, Sven seemed to agree with him.

"I can live with that," Kristoff muttered. "Oh, here we go…" he moaned. "'But then you won't get your new sled if she's dead," Kristoff glared at Sven who had knowing look. "Sometimes, I really don't like you."

Sven grinned, jumping up and down. Sighing, Kristoff called out.

"Hold up! We're coming!"

"You are? I mean, sure. I'll let you tag along…"

Kristoff made a small chuckle as the two of them got up. When everyone was up at the front (except for Sora who was walking from behind), Riku grabbed Kairi by the arm, twirling her so that she faced him.

"What the hell, Kairi?" Riku hissed which made her be surprise from the sudden tone. "Who are you really?"

"Er…Kairi."

"No, you're not. Kairi doesn't have any magical powers. She has the Keyblade that _helps_ her get the powers, not on her own. So I ask again. Who _are_ you?"

Kairi glared at him, straightening her head. "I am Kairi."

Because of the sudden stop, Sora looked up and stared at Riku and Kairi who yanked her arm away from him. Frowning, he walked towards them with a questioning look.

"What's happening?" Sora asked once he reached them.

The two glared at each other before Riku broke the silence. "Nothing," he said a bit sharply.

Sora gave a suspicious look and was about to ask further until Donald called out.

"Hey, you slowpokes! Hurry it up!"

Glaring, Kairi walked away from Riku and joined the others. Riku didn't say anything since he kept walking though it only left Sora in confusion, wondering what just happened. Anna turned around only to have a pained expression which made Kristoff follow her gaze and saw the view.

It was Arendelle that was completely covered in snow. Anna gritted her teeth, clenching her fist tightly. None of this would've happen if she hadn't pushed Elsa…

"Arendelle…" Anna murmured. She was worry about the Kingdom. Worried about the citizens. How were they holding up? They are safe…Anna told herself. Right. Because Hans was there, being in charge. He's taking care of them.

"It's completely frozen," Kristoff said.

Shaking her head out of her thoughts, Anna spoke. "But it'll be fine. Elsa will thaw it," Anna said with confident.

"Will she?" Kristoff asked which left an ominous silence which Anna didn't like.

"Yeah. Now, come on. This way to the North Mountain?" she asked, pointing to the left while she was still looking at Arendelle in worry.

Kristoff laughed. "More like this way," he said, pulling Anna's hand upwards.

Anna tore her gaze away and stared to where her arm was pointing. When she saw the tall mountain, her heart drop from disbelief.

* * *

Everyone looked in awe when the sun shone brightly, casting its rays down on the snow so that it sparkled like diamonds. Anna gaped at the snow-covered trees as most of them had frost upon them.

"I never knew winter could look so beautiful," Anna said as she grabbed a few of the tree branches.

" _Aeeichoo!"_

Anna sighed. "Really, Sora."

"Sorry."

Sniggering, Riku grabbed a fistful of snow, forming it into a snowball and he aimed it at Sora. Before he could even throw it, a voice came which startled him and he clumsy threw it at Donald who turned around. He let out an agitated yell as the snowball struck his face which made Riku give a sheepish grin.

"You confounded git!" Donald yelled, hitting Riku who slightly cowered from his wrath. "What was that for?!"

"Sorry, sorry. It was made for Sora but a voice startled me so…"

Anna made a confused look as Goofy chuckled. "A voice?"

"Thanks, Riku, thanks."

"Yeah, there was this voice who was talking and then—"Riku deadpanned. "You guys don't believe me, do you?"

Kairi walked towards him with a concerned look. "Riku… I know you have been in the darkness for too long but…"

Riku gave her a small glare, shrugging off her hand. "I'm fine."

The group seemed surprised at the reaction from Riku. Grumbling, Riku walked off but not before he saw the stares from them.

"What?"

"Uh…nothing…"

Riku sighed. "Alright. Alright. Just forget about the voice. Forget about what I had said. Just forget about… _everything_ , okay?"

Irritated, Riku abruptly turned on his heels and walked away with a scowl on his face even though that made everyone be even more worried for Riku.

"Yeah, it really is beautiful, isn't it? But it's so white."

Everyone froze as they heard the 'voice'. They all looked at Sven (who was bundled up with tree branches) with a dumbfounded look as though they were expecting that he had suddenly the ability to speak. Maybe Riku was right about the voice…

"You know, how about a little color? I'm thinking maybe some crimson, chartreuse. How about yellow? No, not yellow. Yellow and snow? No go," it made a disgusted face.

The voice gradually got louder while everyone else was trying to search for it. "Am I right?"

Everyone turned their attention downwards only to see a snowman. Acting on instinct, Anna screamed as she kicked its head which made Sora widened his eyes, gaping.

A _talking_ snowman…

"Hi," the snowman said.

Kristoff shivered. "You're creepy," he said before he threw the head back to Anna who threw it back.

"I don't want it!" she shouted, throwing it back.

"Back at you!"

"Please don't drop me," the snowman pleaded.

While this was going on, Riku ran towards them, breathing heavily as though he had just ran a marathon. When he arrived, he let out staggering words, with his hands rested upon his knees.

"What…what happened?" he wheezed. "I heard screaming and…"

"Uh…"

Riku raised an eyebrow at the snowman who apparently had his head upside down.

"Uh…"

"I think that was the voice you were talking about, Riku," Goofy said.

Riku, even though he was still slightly disturbed by the snowman, grinned in triumph. "Ha! _See_? I told you there was a talking voice…"

The Snowman, however, frowned as they all looked weird to him. Something wasn't quite right…

"Wait, what am I looking at right now? Why are you hanging off the earth like a bat?"

Anna blinked, letting out a small sheepish grin. "Er…alright. Wait one second. Uh…"

Hesitantly, Anna walked towards the snowman to fix him by turning his head around to its proper spot.

"Oh!" he said with surprise. "Thank you! Now, I'm perfect!"

Anna grinned awkwardly. "Uh…almost perfect…" she said as she made her hand towards the bag, digging out a carrot.

"It's like my whole life had been upside down," he spoke before turning around only to meet with something sticking into his face, painfully.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Too fast!"

Everyone winced at the push.

"Whoo! Head rush!"

"I was just…are you okay?"

"Are you kidding?" the snowman gasped at the sight. "I am wonderful! I always wanted a nose! It's so cute," he cooed. "It's like a little baby unicorn."

"Oh…uhm…" Anna pressed the carrot from the back of his head which made it be larger.

"Oh! I love it even more!" he said excitedly before clearing out his throat. "Alright, let's start this over…Hello everyone. I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs."

Something sparked inside Anna's mind when he mentioned his name. She widened her eyes, having her breath caught in her throat.

"Olaf…?" she whispered.

"That's right. Olaf. And you are…?"

Realizing that he was waiting for answer, Anna spoke. "Oh, I'm Anna."

"Okay," he then faced the reindeer and Kristoff who were looking at him weirdly. "Who's the funky-looking donkey over there?"

"That's Sven."

"Uh huh. And who's the reindeer?"

Anna made a confused look as she looked at him strangely. "Sven…"

Blinking, Olaf stared at them up and down before he realized. "Oh! Okay. That makes thing easier for me."

Olaf then turned around and saw everyone else. "Hi, I'm Olaf!"

"Er…"

After the group introduced themselves, Anna resumed talking. She wanted to know if Elsa had built him. She knew she did.

"…Hey, Olaf. Did Elsa build you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you think you could show us the way?"

Curious, Kristoff cautiously grabbed one of his arm and played with it until the hand slapped him across the face which earned Olaf's attention though Sora sneezed once more, sniffing.

"Stop it, Sven! I'm trying to focus here!" he exclaimed, grabbing his hand to his proper spot. "Yeah why?"

Rolling his eyes, Kristoff answered. "I'll tell you why. We need Elsa to bring back summer"

Olaf widened his eyes from excited. "Oh! I don't know why but I've always liked summer! And sun… and all things hot."

Kristoff raised an eyebrow, suddenly worried for Olaf. "Really? I'm guessing you don't have much experience with heat."

"Nope."

"So, do you think you can help us then?" Sora asked as he rested his hands on his knees.

"Of course I can!" Olaf said excitedly as he began to make a run. "Now, let's go bring back summer!"

Kristoff stared blankly while everyone else left except for Riku who still a disturbed look.

"Someone's to tell him."

 **Author's Note: **Whew! Quite a long chapter! I actually thought we would meet with Elsa in this one but that wasn't the case. Next chapter _should_ have Elsa appear and Sora keeps sneezing XD someone should really develop a cure for him…What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	26. An Icy Reception

Chapter 24: An Icy Reception

"No, no! You've got the bark facing down!" one of the citizens said. "The bark needs to be face-up!"

"Bark down is drier!"

"Bark up!"

"Bark down!"

While they were arguing, a small boy grabbed a few barks and came rushing towards his father.

"Papa!"

"Cloak! Does anyone need a cloak?" Hans called out as the guard was handing out cloaks.

"Arendelle is indebted to you," a lady said. "Your Highness."

"The castle is open. There is soup and hot glogg in the great hall. Here, pass these out."

Nodding, the guard took his batch and began to hand them to those who need it.

"Prince Hans!"

Upon hearing his name, Hans turned around and saw the same man from before. He scowled a little as he came towards him.

"Are we expected to just sit here and freeze while you give away all of Arendelle's tradable goods?" the man said furiously.

Hans frowned. "Princess Anna has given her orders."

"And that's another thing! Has it dawned on you that your princess may be conspiring with a wicked sorceress to destroy us all?"

Hans growled. "Do not question the princess! She left me in charge and I will not hesitate to protect Arendelle from treason."

The Duke spluttered from shock. "Treason?!"

But before the Duke could even speak, sudden neighs came which earned everyone's attention and Hans turned around to see the white horse, stricken with panic and fright as he went up on his hind legs, rearing.

"Woah, woah! Woah, boy! Easy! Easy."

Murmurs began to spread as they noticed that the horse didn't have its rider. Not too soon, more horses came which made Hans look up until he realized that this was Princess Anna's horse and the other horses were from the group.

Eyes widened, Hans looked up to see the looming North Mountain, standing menacingly.

"Princess Anna is in trouble!" Hans shouted. "I need volunteers to go with me to find her and her friends."

The Duke widened his eyes as an idea sparked in his head. He could use this chance to capture Elsa…take credit and put an end to this horrible winter. Grinning, the Duke called out.

"I volunteer two men, my Lord!" he offered before he spoke to them in a quiet tone. "And should you encounter the queen, you are to put an end to this winter. - Do you understand? Her and those annoying friends…"

* * *

"So, how exactly are you planning to stop this weather?" Kristoff asked as they walked through an icy cave with deathly spikes, poking from the sides.

"Oh, I'm going to talk to my sister!" Anna answered, confidently.

"We're doomed," Riku said flatly.

Anna glared at him as Kristoff spoke. "Really? That's your plan? My ice business is riding on you talking to your sister?" he said incredulously.

"Yeap!" Anna said.

"So…you're not afraid of her at all?"

"Why would I be?"

"Yeah!" Olaf agreed, not paying attention to where he was going. "I bet she's the nicest, gentlest, warmest person ever."

Kairi gave him an odd look as she cautiously stepped away from him. It wasn't until then where Olaf looked down and noticed that the spikes went through him.

"Oh look at that. I've been impaled," he laughed, grinning.

"He's creeping me out," Riku muttered as Sora nodded though Riku got startled when Sora sneezed which made him sigh.

They eventually exited out of the cave only to meet with a steep cliff, blocking their path from going any further. Kristoff made a thoughtful look, biting his lip before he started to rummage through his bag.

"It's too steep. I only got one rope and you guys don't even know how to climb."

The group glared at him as Anna shouted back.

"Says who?"

"Yeah and I know how to climb!" Sora muttered. "Although I don't know about Donald…"

"Hey!"

Sven hit Kristoff at the side of his head with his antlers, having Kristoff stop what he was doing since Sven motioned his head to look up. When he did, Kristoff blinked, staring at her blankly.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to see my sister," Anna said determinedly.

"You're going to kill yourself," Kristoff sighed. "I wouldn't put my foot there…or there," he pointed it out as Anna slipped.

"You're distracting me."

"Or there."

Kristoff shook his head. "How do you know Elsa even wants to see you?"

Anna huffed. "Alright. I'm just blocking you out because I've got to concentrate, here," she grunted as she pulled herself up.

"You know most people who disappear into the mountains want to be alone."

"Nobody wants to be alone! Except you maybe," she muttered.

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "I'm not alone. I have friends, remember?"

"You mean, the love experts?"

"Yeah, the love experts. Ah…"

Riku sighed, shaking his head as he realized that this wasn't going anywhere. They needed a new plan. He stared around the group to see if they have any idea only to realize that Sora and Olaf wasn't here. He frowned.

"Has anyone saw Sora and Olaf?" Riku asked.

"Uh…"

Before one of them could respond, Olaf's voice could be heard and they all turned to face him and saw Sora who was with him though unfortunately for him, he was still dying from the sneeze.

"Hey, Sven?" he called out. "Not sure if this is gonna solve the problem, but I found a staircase that leads exactly where you wanted to go."

"Ah-ha! Thank goodness! Catch!"

"Wha—"

Without a warning, Kristoff suddenly threw his arms out and just in time, he caught Anna, being startled from the unexpected jump.

"Thanks! That was like a crazy trust exercise!"

They all headed towards their decoration, walking down their path until they stopped. They all stared up, eyes widened from shock and awe. There was a huge castle that was entirely made out of ice, leaning against the cliff's side. Surprisingly, it didn't seemed like it was going to slide off. The smooth ice glistened from the sun's rays as it shone down upon the brilliance of the structure. Attached to the majestic castle, there was a long icy path which was connected to it.

"Woah."

Kristoff whistled, amazed. "Now that is ice."

Everyone agreed.

"I might cry," Kristoff said.

"Go ahead. I won't judge," Anna spoke as she started to head towards the long staircase. However, Sven followed her and he tried to climb on the stairs but failed in doing so; it was too slippery for him to grab a grip.

He tried once more but the result ended the same, making Kristoff tear his gaze away and had his eyes land on him, chuckling.

"Alright. Take it easy," he said. "Come here boy," with some great strength, Kristoff pulled Sven off. "You stay right here buddy."

Sven seemed to be disappointed.

"Woah…I've never seen anything like this," Riku replied as he had his hands touch the smooth cold surface of the rails. "Anna, how strong Elsa is?"

Anna shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Probably strong and pretty powerful…"

Donald kept walking up, being amazed from the structure of the castle though on the last step, he tripped, falling to the ground which made Riku chuckle.

"Watch your step, Donald," Riku said playfully.

"Ah, go bleach your roots, dweeb."

"Hey," Riku frowned.

Anna reached at the top but she stood there. She stared at the icy door, hesitantly, not sure if she should proceed.

" _How do you know Elsa even wants to see you?"_

Kristoff's voice rang through her head and she bit her lip. What if Kristoff was right? What if Elsa _doesn't_ want to see her? And if she doesn't, how is Anna going to bring back summer? Seeing the hesitation, Sora walked up to her and whispered.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Anna blinked, giving him a small smile. "Yeah…yeah…erm…just wondering what will happen if Elsa does agrees to go back…heh…" the smile faltered. "I don't know," she muttered.

"It doesn't hurt to try."

Anna nodded before she raised her hand up and then began to knock on the door. Within seconds, the door opened, letting out a small creak and this surprised Anna.

"Huh. It opened…that's a first."

The group began to walk until Anna stopped in her tracks. "Oh you guys should probably stay here. The last time I introduced her to a guy, she froze everything."

The group moaned from disappointment though Kairi smirked. "I guess it sucks to be a guy sometimes. See ya."

Everyone seemed to glare at Kairi though Sora ruined it by sneezing but because of it, he got scolded.

"SORA!"

"Sorry."

Anna gave them a weak smile but she shook her head. "You too, Kairi. I think I need go alone on this one."

Riku sniggered though as a result, a punch was made, having Riku wince.

"Aww, come on!" Kristoff complained. "It's a palace made out of ice! Ice is my life!"

Olaf chuckled. "Bye Sven."

"You too, Olaf."

Olaf seemed upset. "Me?"

"Just give me a minute."

Disappointed, the group joined Kristoff, sulking.

"One…two…three…"

"Four."

* * *

"Thirty-five…"

Sora quirked an eyebrow. They had been out for quite a long time even though she only said a minute and having Olaf counting is helping the matters.

"Olaf! Enough with the counting!" Sora exploded, startling the group. Olaf paused in mid-counting, staring eyes wide at him. Sighing, he sat back down. "Sorry," he muttered. "It's just been a long time…"

"But that wasn't even—"

"Honestly, Olaf. I don't care. If something took longer than it should, then that usually means Anna is in trouble."

Kristoff frowned. "Why would she be in trouble if she's with Elsa?" he paused. "Unless she went into an ice-rage mode."

Sora bit his lip. That could be a possibility. What if it _did_ happened? What if she froze Anna? What if—

"I'm going!" Sora announced, standing up before he abruptly walked towards the entrance.

"AEICHOO!" he sneezed. "ARGH! I'VE HAD ENOUGH WITH THE COLD! THAT'S IT! I'M BRINGING BACK SUMMER!" he raged, having the group jump with startle.

The minute he entered the castle, he was suddenly greeted by the ice since he slipped down with a thud. Sora groaned, letting out a small huff as Riku chuckled.

"I think someone's having a bad day."

The inside of the castle was beautiful. With its high ceiling and a two-way staircase. The icy walls gave an ethereal glow, making it even prettier and enhanced. Sora gaped at his surroundings, gazing in at the details that were made into the castle. This was something else.

"Sora?"

Upon hearing his name, Sora looked forward and saw Anna. "Anna!" he called out as he began to run towards her though she replied back.

"Watch out—"

Too late.

Sora had already slipped and fell to the ground. Again. He took in a sharp breath, muttering as he caught up, walking towards Anna.

"This is some castle," Sora said.

"I know but why are you here?"

"You've been out for too long. We thought something bad might've happened so we came in here and—"Sora trailed off as her eyes landed upon a young figure who stood at the top of the stairs.

"E—Elsa?" Sora said flabbergasted.

There was Elsa who was already standing on the top of the staircase. Her hair that was once tied into a bun was now in a loose French braid, falling down elegantly on her left shoulder. Her sparkling crystal blue off the shoulder dress with translucent sleeves, having a slit at the end. It trailed down to the floor followed by a nearly translucent blue cape, adorned with large snowflakes. The ethereal glow shone down on her, making her shine unearthly.

"Wow," Sora said as he was still staring.

Elsa laughed. "Thank you." She was about to speak until a voice rang out and she tilted her head to the side. "Wait, what was that?"

"…Sixty!"

"Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Elsa furrowed her eyes in confusion. "Olaf?"

"You build me, remember?" Olaf said once he joined Anna.

Elsa widened her eyes as she stared at her past childhood. "A—and you're alive?" she stammered, shocked.

"Uhm…I think so."

Anna knelt down, placing a hand on him. "He's just like the one we built as kids."

Elsa let out a smile as she stared into her hands. Maybe her ice powers weren't so bad…maybe she underestimated them…

"Elsa, we were so close. We can be like that again," Anna said, pleading out to her.

However, it seemed as though that made it worse since Elsa widened her eyes from fear as the flashback came into her mind. She bit her lip, closing her eyes as she wrapped her hands around her waist. The pain…the fear…the fear of _losing_ Anna. No. She couldn't risk it. Not again.

She reopened her eyes, taking a step back. "No. Goodbye, Anna"

Desperate, Anna got up and began to follow her. "Elsa, wait! Wait!"

"Anna—"but it was too late. Anna already left, leaving Sora and Olaf down at the stairs.

"I'm just trying to protect you!"

Sora had an unnerving feeling that something bad was going to come.

Something terrible.

He hesitated, wondering if he should follow Anna but went against it. He turned back with Olaf, looking left or right, wondering what he should do. As Sora was halfway, he suddenly paused since he had a feeling that someone or something was there. Watching him.

Eyes narrowed, Sora turned around, nearly losing his balance, but remained on guard.

"I know you're here! Show yourself!" he demanded.

"Man…I knew you were persistent kid but did you had to be so annoying?"

Sora stood his ground when he saw a cloud of red smoke appeared and there, it revealed Cruella who gave a nasty look at him, scowling.

"Honestly, just how annoying can you get?" she spoke with annoyance in her tone. "You and your friends too."

Sora growled. "What are you doing here?"

Cruella shrugged. "Nothing much," she answered though that cruel grin didn't made things any better. "I'm just helping dear old Elsa to know what her true powers are. What her true self is and I must say…she's doing an excellent job," she cackled unpleasantly.

Sora tightened his fists. "You stay away from her!"

Cruella smirked. "I'm not doing anything. Every choice what Elsa makes…is based on _her_ and _her_ alone. Not me. And besides, it's not her you have to worry about. Worry about yourself, tsk. That cold is such a bothersome, isn't it?" she shook her head. "Oh but I do believe that something else is bothering you, isn't there?" a mad gleam shone in her eyes. "There's a deep dark _secret_ hidden in you."

Knowing where this was going, Sora growled. "I don't have a secret!" he shouted as he took his fighting stance though this only made Cruella laugh.

"Ha! Please!" she laughed, insanely. "You can't fight. You don't have a Keyblade! You're _nothing_ without one!"

"That's a _lie_!" Sora said darkly. "Even if I don't have a Keyblade, I'm still something."

Cruella laughed horribly. "Well, well. You're feisty, I like it," she grinned which disturbed Sora before her expression turned serious. "And I bet you want to know the answer as to why your Keyblade isn't showing up, don't you?"

This suddenly made Sora be interested though he didn't want to show it. Unfortunately, Cruella caught it and this only made her smile grew wickedly.

"Well, let me tell you…" her eyes widened as though she was eager to tell him. "It's because you're reluctant!"

Sora blinked, being stunned as he didn't expected that answer. Not at all. It threw him off guard.

"I'm what?"

Cruella sighed. "You deaf or something? You're _reluctant_ which means, boy, you're declining yourself. In other words, you simply don't want to be a hero anymore."

"You what?"

Sora winced as he twirled around only to see his friends, giving him both a stun and incredulous look on their faces. Riku widened his eyes from shock as he stared at Sora, refusing to believe what he had just heard.

"Oops. I think I've said too much," Cruella grinned.

"Sora?" Goofy asked, unsure.

"I…I…" Sora shook his head before he whipped his head to the side, glaring at Cruella who seemed to be enjoying the little show.

"You're lying!" Sora exclaimed which almost took Cruella by surprise.

However, Sora suddenly felt a small bit of fear entering his body when her expression turned dark and cold.

"Excuse me?" she said, sharply. "I. Don't. Lie. It is _you_ who's lying to yourself. It's _you_ who's too dumb enough to even accept the cold hard truth. It's not my fault you're declining it. If you want your Keyblade, then make opposite decisions. _Be_ the hero, you fool. Be the hero you once were otherwise, you're at a loss. You've got no survival on beating this new evil."

"Shut up!" Sora shouted, tightening his fists. Not true. Not true. How can that be? He loves to be the hero.

Right?

Cruella rolled her eyes and she was about to disappear until she stopped herself; her smile grew sinisterly.

"Oh and before I forget," in her hand, something materialized and it made the group gasp.

"It's one of the pages!" Donald exclaimed, shocked.

Cruella grinned. "That's right. While you _heroes_ were too busy saving the worlds, I decided to go on a scavenger hunt and look what I found," she waved the rusty old paper that was in her hand. "I'm one step closer in winning and you're not. Better move it fellas or evil's gonna win."

And with that, Cruella disappeared which left the group at an ominous silent. Sora stared down at the ground; his own reflection staring back at him. That couldn't be true. Why would he be reluctant of being a hero once more? Especially if there's an evil threatening the world.

"Sora…"

Sora tightened his fists and he turned around to face his friends. Kairi walked up though she stopped as she stared at him with a saddened look.

"Is it true?" she whispered.

Sora hesitated. In all honesty, he wasn't sure. He lowered his head down, wrapping his arms around himself.

"I don't know…"

"How can you not know?!" Riku yelled, suddenly being angry at his friend. "We've been through some crazy adventures, got Chosen, met great friends and you suddenly don't want to be a hero anymore? Don't you take pride in what you do?"

Sora lifted his head up, shooting him a narrowed look. "Don't you _dare_ yell at me about taking in prides," he spoke dangerously.

Riku was about to speak until a sudden scream which alerted them. They all whipped their heads to the staircase; their eyes widening.

"ANNA!" Sora cried out but before he could even reach the staircase, there came Kristoff who appeared to be carrying Anna in his arms and he seemed to be in a hurry, rushing down the stairs.

"Guys, get out of here!" Kristoff shouted.

"What happened? Anna—"

"Talk later. Run _now_!"

As if on cue, there was a loud terrifying roar, echoing throughout the castle…

 **Author's Note: **Ooo, they're in trouble. But now we know a little bit as to why Sora's Keyblade won't appear. Will Sora fight? Maybe. We'll see some more explanation later on but Cruella got one of the pages! That can't be good. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	27. A Frozen Heart

Chapter 25: A Frozen Heart

Loud, heavy footsteps were heard which made Kristoff back away a bit as he placed down Anna who insisted that she could walk.

"What happened?" Sora asked. "We heard a scream and—"

"To be honest, we have much bigger things to worry about," Kristoff responded as he pointed to the figure that just showed up.

Sora turned around once more and had his eyes wide as he gaped. There was a large snowman with sharp icy spikes on his body, protruding from multiple parts of his body. His icy eyes were narrowed before he let out another loud frightening roar, shaking the castle.

However, just as he appeared, more Faceless appeared, standing beside the behemoth snowman. Sora went into a fighting stance, ready to fight them but a hand grabbed his wrist and he looked to the side to see Riku, giving him a look.

Hesitant, Sora stared at him before Riku gave him a reassuring nod and he stepped in front of him.

"Ready to show whose the boss here, guys?" Riku said. One by one, their weapons began to show up at their hands.

Kairi smirked. "I was born ready."

Irritated that he couldn't help, Sora urged Kristoff and Anna to get out of here.

"Come on, guys! Let's move!" Sora shouted as the trio began to run. As they exited, Riku glanced behind as he sighed, flashing the monsters a determined look.

 _I'm sorry, Sora._

* * *

"What were those things?" Kristoff yelled as they continued to run.

Sora slid down the rails though it made Kristoff shout by saying 'That's cheating!' Nevertheless, he reached at the bottom in less than a second before they resumed running again.

"Sora—wa—wait…" Anna's shaky voice came. She slowed down and tried to catch her breath.

"What?" Sora breathed.

"We should…be good for now…I think."

But, it wasn't too soon where Olaf's voice of panic was heard.

"RUN! RUN!"

Everyone looked up to see Olaf running down the stairs followed by two large arms that were smacking the doors, opening it by force. The snowman gave another nasty roar but this time, fear made through Sora as his heart was thumping faster.

What happened to Riku?

Whimpering, Anna made a mad dash in attempt to escape followed by Kristoff who grabbed Sora by the arm, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Are you mad? Run, you fool!" Kristoff shouted, yanking him away.

"Wa—wait."

"IN COMING!" Kristoff suddenly yelled which made Sora cringe since he was literally right beside Kristoff.

Anna turned around only to widen her eyes as she ducked down, seeing the falling object hitting a small snow hill.

"Watch out for my butt!" the head of Olaf exclaimed.

Anna gasped as she was nearly hit by the rest of the body parts.

"It is not nice to throw people!" Anna raged.

"Woah, woah, feisty pants!" Kristoff said, letting go of Sora so that he could stop Anna from throwing the snowball at the snowman. "Don't make things even more complicated. He's already mad."

"Okay! Alright. I'm calm," Anna breathed as she finally stopped struggling against Kristoff's hold.

"Good."

But as Kristoff turned around, Anna already let out a charged yell and threw the snowball.

"Aw, come on!"

The snowball flew towards the Snowman who glared at it but when it hit him, he let out another menacing roar, showing its deathly spikes.

"See? Now you made him mad."

Sora looked around until an idea came to his mind. "You guys go. Grab Olaf and get out of here. I'll distract him."

Anna stared at him with an incredulous look on her face. "You? But you don't have your Keyblade thingy."

Sora rolled his eyes. "I'll think of something. Kristoff, I'll need your rope. Go!" he demanded after Kristoff handed him the rope.

Once the three ran away, Sora jumped into action, waving his hands in the air in attempt to grab his attention.

"Hey Snowman thing! Down here!" Sora exclaimed.

The Snowman growled, its icy eyes stared angrily at Sora who was running away with a determined look on his face. As the long as the guys weren't at the cliff then his plan would work…

Grinning, Sora began to run faster until he reached at the edge of the cliff where he slid down and created a snow anchor and then tied the rope around his waist. Once the rope was secured, Sora looked down then looked back at the front, hoping that his plan would work.

 _Come on…_

"Hey, I'm over here!" he shouted.

Seeing him, the snowman stormed towards him, breaking everything in his path, determined to knock away the insect. At the right time, Sora started to run when the monster was close enough and as though everything was in slow motion, Sora leaped off the edge with the creature hot on his tail, having his sharp claws stretch out to reach for him.

However, the edge gave away which made the fiend stumble down, giving out a roar of defeat as itself falling. As it was plunging down, it grabbed Sora by the rope, forcing the rope to snap apart due to the extra weight. Sora gasped as he felt himself falling and he let out a shout, closing his eyes waiting for the impact to come.

But it never did.

Sora gasped from the sudden pull at his arm. He looked down only to see himself dangling which made him be surprise. He looked up to see Riku, giving him a knowing smirk.

"Sora, you're an idiot," Riku said as he pulled him up.

"Thanks," Sora said, shakily. "Not for insult but for saving me. Man…" he groaned as he sprawled himself on the blanket of snow.

"Sora, you did it!" came Anna's voice. "You showed Marshmallow a thing or two!"

Sora perked up his head. "That _thing_ has a name?" he asked incredulously as he got up.

As if on cue, a hand suddenly grabbed Sora by the waist, choking him and it pulled him up.

"Sora!" Riku cried out as he saw Marshmallow getting up. "How in the world—"

"Let. Me. Go!" Sora growled, kicking him. He turned around and saw that there were spikes on his back. Getting an idea, he awkwardly turned his body so that he could grab one of the spikes.

"Come…on!" Sora struggled as he repeatedly hit the ice with his free hand in hopes of getting out.

Riku looked around and saw the only way out of here. He then faced the group who were walking backwards.

"Guys, I've got an idea," he announced.

On the final pull, Sora finally managed to break the ice with great strength; he knew he was going to ache all over but it was going to be worth it. He then used the weapon and stabbed it at Marshmallow's shoulder which made him let out a roar of pain and because of the stab, it made the monster throw Sora away.

"JUMP!" Riku shouted as he ran towards the cliff.

"What?!"

Nevertheless, the group jumped off the edge, free falling as the snowman glared at them with a menacing look before turning away.

As they were falling, Riku at last managed to grab hold of Sora's hand and they resumed plummeting…

* * *

Elsa paced back and forth; a worrying look etched into her calming face. The once blue walls were now turned an eerie red, indicating fear. Spikes were beginning to protrude from the sides of the walls, making Elsa be frightened.

What would become of her? Will she remain like this forever?

"Well…I must say. That was quite a show," the voice replied from the shadows.

"Come out!" Elsa exclaimed, readying herself. The hollow laugh rang throughout the room.

"Really Elsa. You must stop trying. It isn't doing any good for you now is it?" Cruella spoke, coming out of the shadows. She pointed at the red walls.

Elsa threw her an angry look. She remembered this woman. How could she forget?

"Look: if you're done tormenting me, you can go away now," Elsa shot back. "Leave me alone."

"Aww, don't tell me you're upset about what happened to Anna?" she made a fake sympathy sigh. "Oh those poor dears. I wonder if they are alive…" a sinister look came upon her face. "Or dead?"

Elsa gasped, realizing as this woman could be right. Right after she created the snowman, she didn't know what had happened after that. She bit her lip, already hating herself even more.

 _Oh, please let them be alive._

Cruella cackled. "Don't worry dear. If they're dead, that'll be one less thing to worry about! Think about it; all this worrying and pressure made you feel uptight. Why, it even turned your hair _white_!" she exclaimed as she came from behind, being closer to Elsa.

"But it'll be alright, dear. When they're gone, the pain will ease…you'll have nothing to worry about…" Cruella replied, widening her eyes demonically as she made her hand towards Elsa.

Growling, Elsa whipped around so fast that it surprised Cruella as Elsa grabbed her hand.

"No," she said firmly. I'll _not_ let you decide what to do with my life. These are my choices. My decisions. My family. My friends," she growled. "And if you even _think_ about touching them or torturing them, I'll make sure you'll have hell to pay," she said threateningly.

Cruella narrowed her eyes darkly as she yanked her away from Elsa's cold grip. Growling, Cruella slithered back into the darkness, her yellow eyes glowing.

"You better watch your words, dearie. Or Karma will get you."

And with that, Cruella vanished.

* * *

"Sora? Sora. Wake up, damn it."

Sora flickered his eyes open as his vision was still blurry. What happened? Where were they? He moaned, feeling a massive headache coming in and he achingly forced himself to push up.

 _Ow. Ow. Ow._

He didn't know what was hurting him. He only knows that his head was in agony.

Riku let out a sigh of relief when he saw him move. "Oh thank Jesus. You're bloody hell alive."

"YOU! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FORCED US TO JUMP FROM A HUNDRED DROP!" Kairi screeched.

"Two hundred, actually," Kristoff corrected.

"Ow…" Sora cringed, clutching his head. "Please…not so loud."

"What if we were dead? What good would that be? Did it even let you think what would happen at all?" Kairi replied furiously.

Kairi knew he was a genius but sometimes, his ideas were dumb.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Look. If Marshmallow could survive this kind of fall then so could we. And I was right, wasn't I?"

Kairi gave him a stunned look. "You're seriously comparing _us_ humans to a freakin…er…snowman thing, right?" she then looked at Sora who was holding his head. "And Sora could've been hurt. _All_ of us could've been hurt. It's just that Sora would've had double the pain because of the bullet he had."

Riku and Sora blinked at her, giving her a blank look which made Kairi blink as well.

"You forgot about the wound, didn't you?" Kairi deadpanned.

"Oh, that's right!" Riku said in realization. "Back in Pocahontas world, where you took the bullet for Kocoum."

Sora gaped at him until he realized that he was right. Er, _Kairi_ was right. He fumbled with his shirt, pulling it up only to see a large angry purple blotch that spread around the wound.

Oh.

That must've been what's aching him.

"Heh," was Sora could say.

"Is everyone alright?!" came Anna's voice.

"Yeah, we're fine."

Donald and Goofy nodded with agreement. When Sora got up, he suddenly got woozy, stumbling backwards a bit.

"Uh oh. I think someone's feeling a bit ill," Goofy pointed it out.

"No. No. I'm fine," Sora insisted.

"You may have a concussion if your head is hurting," Kristoff spoke.

Sora shook his head. "Really guys. I'm _fine_. We should—woah," Sora said, eyes wide.

"What?"

"Anna…your hair. It's white!" Sora pointed it out.

Anna gave him a strange look, looking at the group up and down. "You guys should see your hairs. You just fell off a cliff!"

"No, no. He's right. It's turning white," Kristoff spoke.

Confused, Anna spoke as she checked one of her braids. "White? It's…what?" she said, eyes wide from shock.

"It's because she struck you, didn't she?" Kristoff said, surprising the group.

"She what?" Donald asked.

Anna bit her lip. "Is it that bad?"

There was a small hesitation before Kristoff spoke. "No."

"You hesitated," Olaf said.

"No, I didn't!" Kristoff refused.

Sora shook his head. "Anna needs help. We need go back to Arendelle and hope that someone can help her if she's struck," he paused. "Wait…what happens if she got struck? Shouldn't she be…I don't know, bleeding?" Sora grunted when a harsh nudge was made by Kairi at his rib.

Anna glared. "I don't know."

"Kay, let's stop freaking out for a moment here. Sora, you're being jerk. Anyways, I know someone who could help."

Anna furrowed her eyebrows until she connected the dots. "Your love experts' friends?"

"Uh huh," Kristoff nodded as he began to walk. "Don't worry. They'll be able to fix this."

Skeptically, Anna asked. "How do you know?"

"Because I've seen them doing it before."

* * *

"…I say friends. They're more like my family," Kristoff spoke.

Sora sighed as he zoned out of the conversation. He gazed upwards to see the night sky filled with the blinding green lights, dancing across the sky in a synchronization pattern. So free…

His mind went back to the part where Cruella showed them the paper. He gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe that she already gotten one of the papers. They needed to act fast or otherwise the rest of the papers would be in her hands.

And he can't let that happen.

Hero or not.

"…Meet my family!"

From the loud voice of Kristoff, Sora snapped out of his thoughts as he realized that they had arrived but…

Wait a minute.

Sora frowned. Are they sure they're here?

Even Anna seemed skeptically. If not, weirded out.

"Erm…they're rocks," Sora heard Anna say.

Sora looked down to see a pile of rocks, all scattered throughout the area. Sora made an unsure look, suddenly worried for Kristoff's sanity.

"You are a sight for sore eyes…" his voice could be heard.

Everyone stared at Kristoff with a dumbfounded look as Olaf whispered.

"He's crazy," Olaf said.

In all honesty, Sora has to agree with him.

"Clay, whoa... I don't even recognize you. You lost so much weight."

"Uhm…is Kristoff feeling alright?" Riku asked, giving him a strange look.

"I don't know. I don't even understand this word. This world is strange," Sora said, blinking.

"I'll distract and you guys run," Olaf said as he began to walk towards the rocks. "Hi, Sven's family! It's nice to meet you!" frowning, Olaf whispered back. "Because I love you Anna, I insist that you run," he then spoke in a normal tone. "I understand that you're love experts…"

Not wanting to take any more of this, Anna began to walk away.

"Okay, I'm gonna go," Anna announced.

"Wait, wait. Anna, don't go!"

All of a sudden, the rocks began to shake which left Anna frozen in spot.

"Kristoff!"

And then, one by one, the rocks rolled to Kristoff who greeted them and they stopped rolling. The rocks were formed into _beings_ , having cloaks made out of moss with colored crystals decorated through them. Almost all of them share the same facial features such as having large noses, small stone skin and black eyes.

"Kristoff's home!" a female voice exclaimed and the crowd cheered.

Sora stared at the crowd with curiosity and he couldn't help but to open his jaw from shock and bewilderment. He _thought_ he had saw everything but he guessed he was wrong.

"They're trolls…" Anna muttered, eyes wide before laughing as though she was happy that she wasn't insane. "They're trolls!" she said a bit louder.

That earned their attention since they turned around, staring at her with wide eyes before they landed upon another girl who was staring at them with an odd look. Anna shrunk back a little from all of the stares.

"Kristoff's brought home girls!"

Almost immediately, Kairi and Anna got pulled into the crowd, surprising the group.

"Ooh and look at this handsome boy!" one of the trolls exclaimed, dragging Sora without a warning.

Sora yelped from the unexpected yank, pulling him into the middle where Kristoff was. Unexpectedly, Kairi was suddenly thrown at Sora who caught her in time even though they both stumbled backwards. Kairi opened one of her eyes, suddenly realizing that she was leaning against Sora and quickly, she pulled out of his grip and the two remained awkward.

"What's going on?" Anna asked.

"I've learn to just roll with it," Kristoff replied.

"Yes, yes, she'll do!" one of the female said excitedly and that instantly made Anna widened her eyes, refusing.

"Oh, no. No," Anna said awkwardly.

"You got the wrong idea," Kristoff said, nervously.

Frowning, Bulda placed her hands on her hips. "What's the issue, dear? Why are you holding from such a man?"

Kristoff groaned. "Look, we're here to see Grand Pabbie and—"

"Anna!" came Kairi's cry.

Kristoff turned to the side, seeing Anna falling and caught her in her arms, looking panicked.

"She's cold as ice."

The crowd separated into two lines, allowing another Troll to come in. But this one had a sense of high authority since everyone became quiet, either from being curious or being serious.

"There is strange magic here," the deep voice announced.

"Grand Pabbie," Kristoff said.

There was quite a difference from the rest of the Trolls. He had a mane around him, wearing a flowing green cloak with bushy eyebrows with yellow crystals adorning him.

"Come, come. Bring her to me," he muttered.

Kristoff did what he was told only to fully examine him. He frowned when he saw strange marks on his stone body which made him question. They were cuts and bruises…

"Grand Pabbie…what happened to you?" Kristoff asked. "How did you get those cuts?"

This earned Sora's attention since he turned his head to face him fully and noticed that they were there. They were small but they were there. Sora's throat went dry as he squeezed his eyes shut tight. The same flashback of Cruella holding the paper entered his mind.

Was it possible Grand Pabbie had to _fight_ Cruella in order to protect the paper?

Grand Pabbie merely shook his head. "We need to focus on Anna. Her life is in danger," this time his focus turned on Anna. "There is ice in your heart, put there by your sister. If not removed, to solid ice, you'll freeze forever," he said gravely.

"What?" Kristoff exclaimed. "No. But you can remove it, right?"

"I cannot, Kristoff," Grand Pabbie apologized, a heavy look came onto his face. "I am sorry. If it was her head, it would be easy. But only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart…"

That seemed little to ease Kristoff's heavy heart. He shut his eyes tight, not wanting to believe that he would lose Anna.

 _No. I won't lose her._

"An act of true love?" Anna muttered, weakly.

"A true love's kiss, perhaps."

And the trolls kissed one another. But Anna fell back into Kristoff's arms and her hair turned even whiter. They were running out of time.

"Anna, we've got to get you back to Hans," Kristoff said.

"Hans…" Anna murmured.

"Sven, pull us out."

As the Anna and Kristoff were pulled, Sora knelt down onto his knees.

"Grand Pabbie…please, I have to know. Where'd you get those cuts?" Sora asked quietly. "Please…"

Grand Pabbie seemed to be reluctant but the pleading eyes from the boy made him sigh and he spoke.

"An evil witch came here, demanding to see the King. I knew what she really wanted so I hid it in hopes that would lead her to the wrong path but I was wrong. She was…powerful. Powerful than me."

Bulda came up to Pabbie, hugging him from the side.

"This evil witch…was her name Cruella?"

There was a heavy silence hanging in the air but this only confirmed Sora's assumptions.

"Yes. Her name was Cruella Devil. A horrible being. She demanded to give the magical item but I refuse so I fought her. I was on the brink of winning until she had a trick up her sleeve; I should've seen it coming but I hadn't…she…rummaged through our village, taking the paper with her, not caring if she destroyed our home. Sora, you must understand that it is crucial for you and your friends to protect those papers," Pabbie spoke. "And I also sense something else is troubling you. I sense that there is a bit of darkness in your heart…"

Sora widened his eyes, automatically having his hand go to his chest. "Darkness? How?"

He may have a small theory…

Pabbie shook his head. "Sora, listen to me. You must find the light. Your light. You need to cast away the darkness and only then will you be able to summon what you had lost."

Sora hated when he was right.

 **Author's Note:** Whew, finally got this done. So, we should have approx. one or two chapters left; most likely two chapters left and we'll be finishing up Frozen. But before we are going to go to the next world, the group are going back to Merlin for a bit of surprise ^^ what happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	28. A Frozen World

Chapter 26: A Frozen World

Snow began to fall, having the air be frosty as the harsh wind gnawed at their faces. Hans glared through the unforgiving blizzard and he knew they were here. He gazed upwards, goggling at the icy castle that stood proudly and regal. It was quite impressive, needless to say but ice is a danger and must be stopped.

"We're here to find Princess Anna," Hans called out.

The horses seemed to be disturbed.

"Be on your guard but no harm is to come to the Queen. Do you understand?" he commanded.

"Yes, Your Grace!"

Hans got off his horse, walking towards the stairs.

Without a warning, the pile of snow that was at the entrance of the stairs suddenly came alive, letting out a roar. The horses neighed with fright as they escaped while Hans took out his sword, ready to fight the monster.

The ferocious snowman took a swipe at the fighters but they all dodged it while throwing their weapons at it. But because they threw their weapons, it angered the beast even more, making a painful smack at them, throwing them against the small snow cliffs that were there.

One of the Duke's men shook their heads as they were coming around and as they looked up, they noticed that there was a small figure who was closing the doors.

He growled. "The Queen!"

They picked up their weapons, sliding underneath the monster's legs when they had the chance, running up the stairs.

However, the Duke's men entered in the castle as Elsa saw them, having her panic. Quickly, Elsa rushed up the stairs when the two men came in, going to the top level.

"There!" one of them shouted, pointing their weapons at her.

Elsa reached the room, turning around and saw the two men, pointing their weapons at her.

"No, please," she pleaded.

But they weren't listening. One of them had already released the attack and panicked, Elsa threw her hands in front of her face, waiting for the impact. But it never came. Curious, Elsa looked up only to see the arrow pointing at her by an inch, being frozen from her ice shield.

Elsa growled. "Stay away!" she shouted, releasing another set of her power. The two attackers dodged it, rolling to the ground and they continued to fire their arrows whenever they could get a chance to.

Meanwhile, Elsa repeatedly threw her ice powers at them, hoping to push them away.

On the other hand, Hans rolled to the side but in doing so, he managed to catch a glimpse at the two men who were running up. Eyes narrowed, Hans scrambled up, grabbed his sword and sliced at the beast's leg and he gave out a roar, stumbling backwards. Hans ran up the stairs, going to the side as to avoid the monster's arm but his timing was a bit off since the beast grabbed the rails, destroying while also dragging Hans down with him.

Hans just managed to grab onto the edge of the stairs though the other two guards came in, pulling him up. He gave them a short nod of thanks before they resumed going to the castle.

Meanwhile at the inside of the castle, Elsa felt her rage growing and during her rage, she narrowed her eyes, looking at both sides. Growling, Elsa immediately released an ice streak, not letting the man to strike, trapping his movements. He got pinned to the wall by the icy spikes followed by another spike that was threatening to stab him at his neck as it was moving closer.

The other man got ready to shoot but as a result, Elsa quickly knocked away his weapon and she created a large ice block that was too powerful to stop. It continued to push the man away until he reached at the balcony, crashing at the doors, having him fall down before he quickly scrambled up, trying to stop the ice block from pushing him to his death.

 _If it's a fight they want, then it's a fight they'll get,_ Elsa growled as she felt her powers growing. Her rage consuming her.

Hans and the guards came running in just in time to see the mess. There were ice everywhere, both men trapped, unable to do anything.

"Queen Elsa!" Hans shouted. Elsa ignored him as she continued to have her eyes on the prey who was so close to his death.

"Don't be the monster they fear you are…"

Elsa resumed releasing her powers but what Hans had said, it caught her off guard and she forced herself to stop. Eyes wide, Elsa realized at what she had just done. She got out of control and that _scared_ her. Noticing that she was dropping her guard, the man trapped with the ice spikes strained his arm in attempt to grab his weapon and he started to aim at Elsa who was now vulnerable.

Seeing this, Hans acted quickly and he rushed to him, having Hans lift the weapon up so that it struck at the large chandelier which was hanging above Elsa. Because of the attack, the chandelier began to fall and Elsa looked up, gasping. Letting out a whimper, Elsa picked up her dress and began to run away but it came too late. The large chandelier collapsed on the floor, sending shards of its crystal pieces and knocking out Elsa.

* * *

Pain.

That was the only thing she could feel. She moaned as she began to wake up, slowly. Elsa groaned as she opened her eyes, her vision being hazy. She cringed at the pain which shot up in her head.

 _What happened_? she thought.

When she was fully awake, she found out that she was in a dark room and the only light that was visible was from the window. Frowning, Elsa got up and began to run towards it only to have something yanking her back, preventing her to go any further.

 _What…?_

She looked back down and finally saw that they were chains, bounding to her hands. Eyes wide, she went over the chains so they weren't tangled but as she did, memories came back to her as she started to remember what happened.

She got attacked by two men, nearly pushing them to their deaths and then the huge chandelier came down, tumbling which knocked her out…

Biting her lip, Elsa walked towards the window though it wasn't much since the chains prevented her from walking any further. Nevertheless, it was enough for her to gaze out the window only to have to her heart plummet down from shock and disbelief.

"No…" she whispered.

Heavy blizzards blew from the outside and her heart ached at the frozen state. Had she really done this?

The sound of the door got opened which earned her attention and she pulled her gaze away, seeing Hans coming in.

She tore her look away, staring numbly at the floor. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked, her eyes shooting at Hans with a cold look.

"I couldn't just let them kill you," he answered.

"But I'm a danger to Arendelle," Elsa said painfully. "Get Anna."

Hans took a breath as he told her the news. "Anna has not returned."

It made her tremble and she looked out at the window, worriedly. She hadn't come back…? Her lip quivered.

"If you would just stop the winter, bring back summer…please…"

Elsa closed her eyes and opened them, gazing painfully at Hans; her heart ached with pain as she blamed herself for everything that had happened. She couldn't. She doesn't know _how_.

"Can't you see?" she whimpered quietly. "I can't," she said shakily. "You have to tell them to let me go."

Hans made a saddened face; her pleading voice echoed in his head. Sighing, Hans slowly nodded. "I'll do what I can do."

With that, Hans left Elsa alone in her thoughts. As Hans closed the door, a voice spoke which made him be alert.

"Tsk, poor thing. In all honesty, you should just let her go. It's what she wants. She needs to be free. She needs to be able to fly; not caged up like a bird, trapped."

Hans scanned through the darkness, eyes narrowed. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

The voice sighed. "Honestly, do people have any manners these day?" the voice muttered as it emerged out of the darkness.

Hans widened his eyes as he slowly backed away but he still went into a fighting stance, ready to fight if he has to though this only made the person sneer from amusement.

"What are _you_ going to do? Throw a torch at me?" she laughed nastily. "Go ahead. I would like to see you try and fight me although we both know what the outcome is."

Hans growled softly before he straightened himself up though he didn't lose his guard.

"What do you want?"

"It's not what _I_ want. It's what _you_ want," she said. "You want the Queen killed. You want to rule Arendelle."

"That's not—"

"Oh, please. I can see right through you, it's laughable! You're so predictable," she smirked. "You may be able to fool its princess and its crowd but you'll never able to fool _me_. So…what if I said I could give you the power?"

Hans seemed to have loosen a little as it gained his interest. More…power? Seeing at how it caught his curiosity, the figure widened her eyes as it had a mad gleam in them.

"Imagine. More power. More sense of authority meaning more people would respect your superiority and all that jazz. But I mean, if you don't want it and would rather rule as how you're doing it now, then that's fine. I'll just…I'll just slither back in the darkness…" she spoke and began to walk away.

"Wait," Hans said which stopped her and a cruel grin spread across her face. The offer…it sounded tempting…he looked down at the ground while thoughts were going through his head.

Was he sure he really wanted this?

Of course he does! He was always shun out by his brothers, thinking he was never good. This'll show them.

"Give me the power," Hans demanded.

The shadow rolled her eyes. "As you wish."

With a snap of her fingers, dark red power rushed towards Hans who let out a strained yell of pain. He growled as the power began to change him, hearing his bones crack as it was shifting his form around, having him let out a snarl. Satisfied, the figure made a grin before it disappeared into the shadows as the halls were filled with nothing but from Hans's painful scream.

* * *

The watchmen peered through the distance, trying to see anything from the blizzard. They sincerely hoped that their princess would be alright. They haven't heard anything from her as of yet and it's been quite a long time.

"You suppose our Princess Anna would be alright?" one of them spoke.

The man beside him was in silence before he responded. "I sincerely hope so. It had been quite a long time since the last time we had heard from her…"

"And the Queen?"

The man hesitated. "I am not sure…she seemed…different."

The first watchman settled himself in silence as he was trying to sort his thoughts but nevertheless, he still hope for the best for both of them. However, the second man lifted his head up and he squinted his eyes. He blinked as he stared at the distance with a disbelief look on his face.

Was that possible?

The small silhouettes of shadows seemed to have run down the hill at full speed and as they got closer, the watchman managed to make out who it was.

"It's Princess Anna!" he cried out.

"What?"

"Get the others!"

Kristoff rode at full speed as the others tagged along, surfing down the snow hill with haste. They were running out of time; all of them could see that Anna was incredibly weak.

"…a—Are you going to be okay?" Anna replied weakly.

Kristoff shook his head. Don't worry about me," he said.

The minute they reached the gate, the guards and servants all rushed to Princess Anna's aid.

"Anna!"

"You had us worried sick!"

"My Lady!"

"Get her warm," Kristoff told them as they picked her up. "And find, Prince Hans immediately."

"We will. Thank you," they spoke as they ushered Sora and the others inside as well.

While Sora stumbled inside, he took a look back at Kristoff. "Wait but Kristoff—ACHOO!"

"Shush. You're need of a medical attention."

Riku chuckled quietly. "That's not all he needs…" he muttered.

Kristoff sighed when the gates were closed. He stared down at the ground before he walked away.

"Come on, Sven," he muttered.

Sven stared at his rider with an upset look. He stared back at the closed door before he trotted slowly, having a saddened look on his face.

* * *

Hans stared into the fire as a dark look spread across his face. He inhaled as he felt the new sense of power, coursing through his body. If that person did something right, it was the fact that it made him feel superior; the kind of sense where everyone should fear him.

But he supposed he has to stick with his original plan such as by pretending to still care for the Arendelle's Princess. After all, it would be such a _tragic_ if something bad were to happen to her…

"I'm going back out to look for Princess Anna," he suddenly said after he flexed his hand.

"You cannot risk going out there again," One of the assembled dignitaries said. "If anything happens to her…if anything happens to the princess…you are all Arendelle has left."

Hans grinned inwardly. He did liked the sound of that…

"…He's in here…"

"Prince Hans."

Hans turned his head to the side and noticed the maids who were carrying Anna, stumbled towards him. Upon seeing her, Hans quickly rushed to her side.

"Anna!" he exclaimed, grabbing hold of her. "You're so cold!"

"You have to kiss me!" Anna unexpectedly said, urging him.

"What?" Hans asked, stunned.

"Now! Now!"

"Slow down," he muttered, reassuringly.

"We'll give you two some privacy…" the maids led Sora and the others out of the room and they closed the door.

Even though the servants left, Sora simply stared at the door with a troubled look on his face. This didn't felt right…

Riku knew that look and that could mean that something didn't suited him. He knew him too well.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Riku asked.

Sora shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "I don't know…I…That's it?" he asked. "What are we supposed to do? Just let Hans kiss Anna and then what? Expect to have summer back?"

The others shrugged. They have no clue though Riku stared at the ground with a thoughtful look on his face. In a way, Sora was right. Riku couldn't believe that they were supposed to merely sit back and watch the show while summer was in its way. No. It wasn't that simple. When dealing with this kind of magic, there's always a price to pay.

Even if there was a happy ending.

Riku shook his head.

"For now, there's nothing we can do. For now, we have to let the story flow…" Riku announced.

Sora turned around and slightly glared at Riku. "I don't believe that," he argued. "There _has_ to be _something_ we do…or otherwise, what's the point of coming here?"

"Open your eyes, Sora!" Riku suddenly shouted. "We're not _supposed_ to meddle with things in the first place! You were never supposed to take a bullet for Kocoum. We weren't supposed to interfere with Flynn's life. Just let this world have its story flow the right way."

Sora glared. "Kocoum died despite the fact I tried to save him. And besides, Elsa has the right to know what had happened to her sister."

Riku shook his head. "Just…just don't do anything stupid, please?"

Sora closed his eyes, trying to settle down his uneven breathing and he reopened them, staring at the floor.

"Fine."

Riku sighed. "Good. Now come on. We should probably head back to the library."

Sora stared at the ground as the others walked away. He was about to take a step until a thought crossed his mind. He looked up to see his friends' figures slowly disappearing into the shadows. Maybe he should check…just in case.

* * *

It certainly wasn't easy.

The fact that Sora had absolutely no idea where the jail was made it even harder. He also noticed that there more of those Faceless, guarding this hallway so that must mean he was getting closer.

"What the—?" Sora widened his eyes as he slid underneath the Faceless that had unexpectedly showed up though he should've knew they were bound to appear out of nowhere.

He defeat the Faceless with a one swift move before he ventured forward in hopes of reaching to his destination without any distractions. Sora skidded sideways, stopping himself as he fumbled with his pocket to grab out the key. It was rather easy into getting the key; Sora glanced to the right where he saw a knocked out guard ahead.

Once he heard a _click_ , he flung the door wide open.

"Elsa, your sister is—"he trailed off, having his eyes go wide at the empty cell.

The only thing that was visible was the large hole of the cell.

 **Author's Note:** Oooh, Elsa escaped! So, the next chapter will _probably_ be the last chapter of Frozen before we head to the next world; hopefully this time, the group will find one of its lost pages before Cruella; remember, she obtained one of them. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	29. Sisterly Love

Chapter 27: Sisterly Love

Sora ran back to where the rest of the group were. This was beginning to be those endless chasing games where it just wouldn't stop. Once he got back, Sora flung the door open, bursting in.

"Guys," he panted. "Elsa—"he stopped as he suddenly noticed that something was very wrong.

The air didn't seem…right. Something was off.

Riku lifted his head, staring at the anxious Sora.

"Haven't you heard the news?" Riku said bitterly.

"What? What news?" Sora's heart was beating rapidly.

Riku turned around, taking his eyes off him though that only made Sora be more curious and frantic. He quickly looked at his friends while being desperate. He wanted an answer. He need to know.

"What _has_ happened?" Sora asked, desperately.

Gathering the courage, Kairi spoke the words which Sora didn't wanted to hear. Not at all. If Elsa was gone, this was even worse.

"Anna's dead."

* * *

Elsa ran through the storm. It was getting worse by the minute but she had no control over it. She was so overwhelmed by her emotions that they were controlling her. She doesn't know what to feel anymore; she barely escaped her prison but what worries her was that the fact that Arendelle is in the brink of being destroyed and the state of her sister.

What will happen to her?

Anguished, Elsa resumed running.

Not knowing if her sister was safe. Not knowing the dangers Arendelle was put in.

Elsa suddenly stopped, her heart beating furiously as the wind began to blow more harshly and then all of a sudden, a figure began to emerge from the blizzard which made her gasp, making her be a bit scared.

Eventually though, she managed to make out as to who the person was which was Hans. She slightly breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar figure and she called his name out.

"Hans—"she frowned, stopping herself. Something about him seemed very…off.

"Elsa!" he called out.

But instead of running towards him, Elsa found herself backing away from him. Something was very off indeed. His whole aura…Elsa could sense it.

"You can't run from this!" he shouted over the howling wind.

Hesitated, Elsa called back. "Just…Just take care of my sister," she pleaded.

Hans threw a look that troubled Elsa. She didn't liked it at all.

"Your sister?" he gave her a disbelieved look. "I tried to save her but it was too late. Her skin was ice. Her hair was white," Hans pretended to make a grim look but Elsa found herself shaking.

Not from the cold; the cold never bothered her but the fact that she was _dreading_ the news Han was about to give out to her. She tried to get herself ready, to brace for the cold harsh news but she found herself unable to do so. The moment Hans breathed out those words, Elsa felt her heart shatter like glass, having her be paralyzed right on the spot.

"Your sister is dead!" Hans shouted. "Because of _you_."

* * *

Sora stared at his friends as he checked back and forth, hoping for them to joke around and say that everything is alright. But they weren't. The atmosphere was heavy and filled with silence which Sora didn't like.

"What?" he asked numbly. His throat had a lump which he couldn't swallow. He suddenly found it hard to breath, unable to think properly. That couldn't be true…he just couldn't…

No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he _knew_ it was true.

"She's dead, Sora!" Riku shouted. "Alright?"

Shaking with anger, Sora shot back. "And she wouldn't have been dead if we did _something_!" he roared.

"Listen to yourself," Riku exclaimed. "What _could_ we do? She was struck by Elsa, her heart was slowly being frozen from the inside! We don't have any abilities that _could_ help us! So I ask again, Sora. _What_ could we do?" he glared at him.

Sora knew Riku meant well. Both of them didn't wanted to release their anger at one another but they had no choice. Sora closed his eyes, trying to steady his heavy breathing.

It's alright…it's alright…

 _No_. Everything's _not_ alright.

Broken, Sora collapsed to his knees, feeling his body shaking with anger. He hated himself. Hated himself for being so damn helpless. Riku stared at his friend and softened his expression as he lowered his head.

"I'm sorry," Riku replied softly.

"It's alright," Sora sniffed.

As Riku was about to take a step, the room suddenly began to shake which snapped both of them back into reality as the group gave out gasps from the sudden shake.

"What's happening?!" Goofy shouted.

"I…I don't know!" Kairi yelled, trying to keep her balance.

However, the ground beneath them broke out, brining Kairi with it. She let out a scream as she lost her footing but before the ground could even take her, Sora quickly grabbed her by her hand and yanked her up but they stumbled backwards. Because of the pull, Kairi fell against Sora though he held her firmly.

"You okay?"

"Wha? Oh, y—yeah…" she stammered, being shaken from the unexpected fall. However, seeing as how close she was, she quickly withdrew herself, pulling herself away from Sora and a small tint of red went across her face.

"What was that?" Donald asked as he stared at the ripped ground.

Riku glanced at it, giving a narrowed look before he looked around the library, noticing the ice spikes were protruding from the walls. He gave an uneasy look at them, having a bad feeling about it.

"I think the room is falling apart. We've got to get out of here," Riku stated.

Nodding, Sora got up as he also helped Kairi up. "Right."

They then ran towards the door but only to wish they hadn't. The hallways were worse than inside. Ice were everywhere, small sharp cliffs were broken out of the ground and frost were hanging from the sides to the ceilings in a dangerous manner. It didn't looked good at all.

"Uhm…maybe we should head back…" Donald trailed off.

Agreeing, the group retreated back before Goofy pointed out.

"Hey, maybe we should try the window," he suggested.

"It's risky but hey, when had we done something that wasn't risky?" Riku asked before he headed towards the window, beginning to give a little push. After the fourth push, the window finally budged open though Riku nearly fell from the unexpected last thrust but regained his balance.

They all stared down below, noticing the heights and Riku quirked his eyebrow.

"So uhm…ladies first?"

Kairi gave him a glare before she climbed over the window's ledge and then took a breath before pushing herself, sliding off the snowy slide.

* * *

Anna whimpered from cold. The fact that there was ice in her body and the cold from the outside wasn't exactly helping her at all.

 _Just think summery thoughts, Anna. Summery thoughts and who knows? You may even have a chance of survival!_

No matter how many times she tried to reassure herself, it wasn't helping in the slightest. And she hated it. She could barely move; she felt so weak. The strong blizzard whooshed against her, having her sway along with it.

She could barely keep her balance in check and if another strong wind came along, she would have no chance into fighting against it.

Shaking, Anna slowly unwrapped her hands only to have her heart plummet down. As if things couldn't get any worse. The ice began to freeze her hands; the curse was already beginning.

But she didn't let that bother her.

Despite the terrible storm, despite that she was slowly freezing from the inside and from the outside…

She was going for her true love.

During her frozen state, however, Sora and his friends began to search, going through the horrible snowstorm. So perhaps this wasn't the greatest idea but it wasn't a terrible one either.

Scratch that.

It was terrible. It was damn cold and Sora didn't feel like catching another cold. His old one was just passing away but him being an idiot headed straight into the storm, knowing full well he would catch another cold.

Fantastic.

"Alright guys. We need to find Elsa," Sora shouted.

"Elsa?!" Riku frowned. "What happened to her?"

Sora winced. He forgot to tell them about. "Uhm yeah…about that…"he scratched his head. "During the time when you told me Anna was dead, I went to the lower level where the jails were located—I knew Elsa would be there. When I arrived there, I found out that Elsa escaped. The storm's growing bigger; we have to hurry if we want to. We won't be able to survive much longer…"

"Ah," Riku glanced ahead, squinting his eyes as the wind gnawed at his face. "Then Elsa has to be where the eye of the storm is. _That's_ where we'll find her…"

Sora nodded, glancing down at the ice. "Right. Let's go," as he took a step, he noticed that the ice began to break. He gave an uneasy glance as he stared ahead. "And we might want to hurry. The ice is going to give out soon," he spoke as he began to walk only to slip.

He groaned, earning a few sniggers from the group. "And to be careful…"

* * *

Numb. Paralyzed. Frozen.

Elsa stared at him with a stunned look. That's…that's not true. That _can't_ be true. Yes, that's right, Elsa reassured herself. Hans was being a lying prick just to get under her skin. There was no way Anna could be dead. She was her life even at times she didn't want to admit it. The accident both from the past and the time she visited Elsa in her castle came back into her mind, making her wince.

How she hated those memories.

No. It's not _true_.

"No…" Elsa whispered, her heart aching. She was desperately searching Hans's face, trying to find out that he was lying but he wasn't. She could see his straight solemn face looking straight at her.

He wasn't _lying_.

Unable to hold it any longer, Elsa let out a whimpering sob that racked her body. Destroyed and anguished, she collapsed on her knees and when she did, the storm seemed to have died down as she fell.

She was too despair to even notice it and the sentence kept on repeating inside her head.

 _Anna is dead. Anna is dead._

As Elsa was crying in anguish, Hans took this opportunity to strike her from the back. A mad gleam came across his face as he slowly walked towards her, raising his sword.

This was it.

This was the moment of truth. This would be where he would take the throne and be named as King. Everything he worked so hard for would soon come into a reality.

Sora lifted his hand as he felt the sudden snowstorm wash over him like a wave, nearly forcing him to fall down but he managed to compose himself. Once the wind died down, he was able to see the fjord so clearly. Everything even the ships were frozen in its spot. If there weren't any people, this would have been a ghost lake; the only sounds that would be heard would probably be from the howling wind, coming from the distance.

Sora lowered his hand and he glanced to the right where he saw Elsa on the ground, being in a desperate state as Hans was slowly approaching her from behind. Eyes wide, Sora began to run towards her but was stopped by Riku. He gaped at him though Riku merely shook his head as a warning to not interfere with the story.

They had done enough.

However, as Sora was about to lower his head from bitter, something caught at the corner of his eyes so he turned to the side, opening his mouth from shock. That wasn't right. Was he seeing right?

Disbelief, Sora nudged Riku in the ribs and he pointed at the other direction. Frowning, Riku followed his gaze only to stare with wide eyes from shock.

"Is that…is that even possible?" Riku asked numbly.

Sora still had his eyes glued. "Tell me I'm not dreaming. You _told_ me she was dead."

"Hey, Hans came in and _told_ us!"

"Wait, is that Anna?" came Kairi's asked.

Goofy and Donald were just as confused as Riku and Sora. They had no idea what was happening but they resumed watching the scene. Sora barely recognized Anna from the white hair to the crawling ice that was creeping all over her body, threatening to freeze her body.

"NO!" Anna shouted as she slid between Hans and Elsa. In time, she raised her hand just as the sword came down. The hand got frozen just as the blade struck but it struck her hand, breaking it into shards but Hans got knocked out by the breeze the curse released.

Sora felt his heart shatter into pieces and it felt no one could fix it. His legs were unstable and he felt like he could collapse any moment. He couldn't imagine what Kristoff was feeling; heart broken, upset, depressed…the list of emotions goes on.

Goofy covered his mouth from his hands as he stared at the scene with a shock look as Kairi buried her hands, unable to watch the scene. Donald and Riku bowed their heads to pay respects though Sora couldn't accept it. No. Anna wasn't dead. She was never dead.

A sudden light grabbed his attention and he turned his head to the side to stare at Riku's Keyblade that suddenly appeared. Sora gaped at it, wondering what he was planning until an idea struck him like a bullet. No. That wasn't Riku.

The entire fjord rested in silence, resembling with Anna's silence. Elsa dragged herself, grabbing Anna's frozen head before she slumped over Anna, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sora turned his head to Hans who staggered upwards, not willing to accept defeat. No. Hans would _never_ accept defeat.

Growling, Sora glanced at Riku's Keyblade but before Riku could even execute his plan, Sora tried to concentrate on his power, hoping to at least have his summon ability. It's the only chance he got.

Sora gritted his teeth, straining his head and much to his surprise, Riku's blade got summoned into his hand which made Riku be shocked and surprised as he saw Sora running towards them.

"Sora, no!"

But it was too late.

"That bastard," Riku cursed under his breath.

Meanwhile Hans staggered up, a look of demented look flashed across his face. He may not have his sword but he does have the power of what that woman had given him. Growling, Hans began to summon his new found powers; he would kill the Queen even if it kills him.

He _will_ get that throne!

A yell of rage came which made him turn around only to see Sora who had jumped into the air with the weapon raised into the air, ready to strike. Growling, Hans felt his power grow but instead of releasing it, Hans merely created a shield so that Sora's weapon only sliced at the shield.

Elsa was too depressed to even notice the whole scene though it surprised Kristoff and Olaf.

With a rage of look, Sora brought back his Keyblade before he struck it forward though Hans created a new sword and he blocked the attack so that the two were clashing.

"You!" Sora exclaimed. "You _deliberately_ lied to us. All of us! You never really loved Anna, didn't you? You only pretended to love her so you could get the throne for yourself!" he shouted, his anger growing.

Hans let out a dark chuckle. "Well, aren't you the smart one?" he sneered. "Took you long enough but too bad you figured out when it was too late," he laughed nastily.

Using his strength, Hans pushed Sora back so that he stumbled backwards but Hans used this opportunity to slash his sword down in attempt to strike Sora. But Sora reacted quickly as he swiftly lifted the Keyblade up, blocking the attack before he made a twirl though Hans leaped to the side to avoid it.

Sora breathed heavily, having mist coming out of his mouth from the cold air. Shaking, Elsa forced herself to withdraw from Anna as she stared hatefully at Hans who was clashing with Sora.

She heard it. She heard everything and for that, she couldn't forgive him. Not at all.

Elsa widened her eyes when she saw Hans performed a cheating move by releasing his new found power at Sora who just finished twirling around. Before Sora could block the next attack, Hans used his power to blast Sora out which he successfully did.

Sora grunted when he fell down to the ground but that didn't stop his friends from going to him. Upon seeing their arrival, Hans growled and with a swift move, a wave of shield came, blocking Sora's friends from coming any further.

Not thinking, Sora widened his eyes and lifted his hands in front of his face as he waited for the impact.

"This is where you die!" Hans shouted as he raised the sword, ready to strike Sora.

But before Hans could even strike him, a powerful blast knocked him backwards once more, having the sword scatter out of his hand. Surprised, Hans lifted his head and saw Elsa who was raging from power.

"You traitor!" Elsa whispered dangerously. "I always knew you were up to no good. Don't you even _dare_ come near my friends or my sister!" she snarled, feeling her powers growing stronger.

She released them once more, pinning Hans down so that she could strike him. Confused, Sora brought his hands down and saw that Elsa was in a raging mood and he quickly scrambled to his knees, shouting, hoping to reach her out.

"No, Elsa! Stop! Not like this!"

Elsa resumed staring daggers at Hans as her ice dagger was close to pierce Hans's heart. She didn't even bother to listen Sora since she resumed bringing the dagger down.

"Think about Anna."

Just like that, Elsa gasped as she widened her eyes from shock and the ice dagger disappeared though the chains on Hans didn't. Panting, she stared at her hands that had been used as weapons before she turned around only to see Sora shaking his head.

"Not like this," he repeated.

Numbly, Elsa stared back at Anna mournfully, walking towards the statue that was her sister. In all honesty, she felt completely lost. Lost and overwhelmed. Shaking, Elsa collapsed on her knees and once more let the tears fall but what they didn't know was that slowly but surely, a piece of Anna's heart began to thaw out, breaking the curse.

 **Author's Note:** I feel so bad for Elsa :( so yes, I did made Sora and Hans clash a little or otherwise having Cruella giving Hans the power would be awkward and strange and it would seem that it didn't have a purpose…so yeah…but uhm…so I lied. The next chapter should be the last one…heh…*sweat drop* BUT Sora was able to summon the Keyblade from Riku! Does that mean his own Keyblade might be able to come back after all? What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	30. The Great Thaw

Chapter 28: The Great Thaw

Warm.

Anna could slowly feel the warmth going through her body, no longer feeling the cold that once went through her body. She was beginning to feel the warm which she longed for. She was honestly worried she would stay a frozen statue forever and that thought terrified her. If it meant for sacrificing for Elsa then so be it. At last, the ice finally crawled away, having Anna shiver.

Olaf gasped with happiness as he just witnessed what had happened. She…she was alive! Sven hit Kristoff with his antlers to snap him out of his depressed state.

"Leave me alone, Sven," Kristoff muttered with distraught. He raced here, brought Anna back then what? It was all for nothing…and it bothered him. He couldn't believe that Anna would be frozen forever with no way of being released from the icy claws.

Kristoff sniffed as he lifted his head up only to widen his eyes as he gaped at Anna.

"What the—"

Bitterly, Elsa gradually got up as she realized that moping around wouldn't get things done. Anna being a frozen statue…she would be forever honored but it only pained Elsa by wishing she had spent more time as kids and…now. Instead of just pushing her away. She had been unfair to her and Elsa regretted every decision she had made…

Elsa looked up only to stare at the figure with shock and she let out a startled gasp.

"Anna…?" she sputtered. She was…alive? Flabbergasted and relief went through her body as she quickly lunged on Anna, grabbing her tightly, touching what felt was real.

"You're real," Elsa sobbed, tightening her grip even more.

Sora pushed himself up as he dropped his jaw in shock. He rubbed his eyes though he stared at Anna. She _was_ real. He wasn't dreaming. But how? What happened?

Olaf gasped as he came to a realization.

"An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart!" Olaf replied eagerly.

"You sacrificed yourself for me?" Elsa whispered as she placed her hand on Anna's cheek.

Anna smiled, grabbing her sister's hands. "I love you."

Elsa smiled back but her eyes widened when she realized something. Something what Anna said had triggered her and as a result, it made her stare at Anna though this weirded Anna out.

"Love will thaw," Elsa said, earning Anna a blank look.

"Elsa?"

Laughing out loud, Elsa looked around as she finally realized what she had to do all this time. She couldn't believe the answer was so simple and if she wasn't so consumed by her emotions, the answer would've been right in front of her all this time.

Of course, she had to deal with that sorceress along the way but either way, she _knew_ how to fix her curse.

"Love!" she breathed out. "Of course!"

"Elsa?" Anna was really worried about her sister, wondering what could possibly make Elsa be so happy.

At once, Elsa extended her arms out and then a wave of small flurries began to dance around, swirling like leaves that were blowing in the wind. They swirled around in a synchronization pattern as Elsa released her power, melting away the ice.

Anna gasped as the scene was unfolding itself. The once frozen ship was now thawed as it was gently rising itself from the once ice-covered waters. Everything that was once frozen was beginning to thaw out. Kairi looked around as she watched the waves of flurries danced around before it trailed out, heading into the village and at the castle until finally, all of the trails were created into a one huge snowflake which rose into the air.

Elsa placed her hands together before spreading them out, having the large snowflake explode into sparkles. Riku grinned as he leaned against Sora's shoulder when they had caught up to him.

"I knew you could do it," Anna grinned.

"Hands down! This is the best day of my life and quite possibly the last," Olaf replied as he began to melt.

"Olaf! Hang in there, little guy!" Elsa said before she flicked her hand so that a small streak of flurries spun around him, reforming him back to the way he was. A cloud of snow was placed above his hand, making Olaf be more excited.

He gasped. "My own personal flurry!"

Because summer was brought back, the icy chains that were chained Hans's hands melted away and he staggered up, feeling drained and terrible. His face was deformed as his breathing was heavy. The power he once had was gone.

Upon seeing him, Kristoff shot him an angry look as he marched towards him.

"Ah-ah-ah," Anna said as she stopped him. With a bold look, Anna walked towards Hans and frowned when she saw the state of him.

Shrugging, Anna glared at him.

"Anna?" Hans asked, stunned. "But she froze your heart."

Anna narrowed her eyes, shooting him daggers. "The only frozen heart around is _yours_ ," she said irritated before she walked away only to stop since an idea came to her mind. Grinning, Anna spun around and placed a punch at Hans which made him topple over the ship and into the water.

Satisfied, Anna walked towards her sister where she extended her hands out. At first, Anna was a little hesitant but nevertheless, she went forward, embracing the hug.

* * *

Sora glanced at the deck where Hans was being roughly thrown into the prison of the ship. He could slightly hear what the two people were saying.

"…We shall see what his 12 big brothers think of his behavior," one of them had said.

Grinning, Sora turned around and watched the streets that were filled with people once more. It was a lot livelier as well; people were no longer cooped inside their homes in attempt to warm themselves. The snow was gone; there wasn't any trace of it. Smiling, Sora grinned as he took breath of summer air.

Another good thing came and it was that he no longer has the cold and he was grateful for it; it was getting on his nerves.

"Summer!" Olaf replied happily as he skipped across the streets of Arendelle. The snow cloud above him was endlessly falling but he stopped when he saw a flower, blooming to its full content.

"Oohh," he let out a huge inhale to breath in the nice smell it gave but because of the inhale, he started to stutter before he finally let out a sneeze.

Unfortunately, his nose slid out of his spot and straight into Sven's mouth where he stared at it before sucking it in. Olaf gaped at it before he fell into sadness as he had no longer a nose. And it fitted him so well. Upon seeing his sad state, Sven trotted towards him and stuck the carrot back into Olaf's place where he let out a happy laugh, cuddling Sven.

Sora grinned from ear to ear as he was currently sitting on a stone ledge with Kairi while the others were leaning against it.

While that had happened, Anna was eagerly dragging Kristoff across the streets, excitedly skipping.

"Come on, come on!" Anna replied happily, dragging a blind-folded Kristoff.

However, he unexpectedly smashed himself against a pole which earned Sora wince from the pain. Kairi giggled.

"So glad everything's back to normal," Kairi replied as she swayed her legs back and forth.

"Me too and finally glad that I got rid of that damn cold," Sora said.

Riku smirked. "You were pretty irritating with it. Just like with everything else," he added.

"Hey!"

Riku chuckled. Sora leaped off from his spot, turning his attention towards his friends.

"Now what?" he asked. "Are we ready to head out to the new world?"

The group hesitated. Of course they were but they didn't exactly knew where the portal would take them as always though that wasn't their main concern. They were worried on how much they would meddle whenever they visited the new worlds but the thing that bugged them was how Cruella managed to snag one of the magical papers.

Shaking his head, Riku shrugged off the silence. "Yeah, we're ready. Wherever the portal will takes us, we'll be ready."

Sora smiled. Before they could even begin to walk, a voice called out which made Sora turn around.

"You're leaving?" a crestfallen voice spoke.

Sora stared at the upset Anna and he flashed her a smile. "Yeah, we are. But we are going to visit you whenever we can."

That seemed to make Anna a bit happier. "Well before you go…we have something for you," Anna handed him a bag which he took it.

Being eager, Riku snagged the bag and opened it which made his eyes sparkle with delight. "Ooh, goodies!" he exclaimed happily as he took a piece of chocolate. "Hmm…"

Everyone laughed.

"Riku, you're such a pig," Sora laughed.

"I hope you don't mind but as a Queen of Arendelle, I would like to present you with this," Elsa said as she appeared beside Anna. Curious, Sora took the object from Elsa's hand and stared at it. He could feel a strange power emitting out of the snowflake item as it was gleaming from the sun's ray.

"Uh thanks," Sora nodded.

Elsa smiled. "It helped me during my hard times; it was a gift from my parents but I feel I could move on now that I have control of my powers. Please, take it. And I promise that it wouldn't melt," she grinned.

Sora glanced at Anna. "You'll be alright?"

She nodded. "Yes, I will," smiling, she walked towards him and gave him a hug which he returned it.

"Oh! We're giving out hugs? I like warm hugs!"

The two pulled apart and looked down to see Olaf. Grinning from amusement, Sora bent down so that he could be at the same level as Olaf.

"Hey Olaf. Thanks for everything," Sora replied, giving him an awkward hug.

"Yeah, thanks Olaf," Riku said as he joined Sora.

Sora got up and he looked at the group, being a bit hesitant.

"Uhm…if you don't mind…there is a one favor if you don't mind doing it…" Sora replied.

Elsa nodded. "Sure, what is it?"

No sooner or later, the group got on a ship that would take them to the North Mountain where they had landed. In all honesty, Sora was eager to go back to see how it was doing as well as Chip and Dale. They and the ship must've been frozen during this dilemma but he hoped they were alright.

"Bye everyone!" Donald waved

Goofy laughed, waving along. "It was nice meeting you!"

"You as well!" Anna called out. "Take care!"

Sora stared at Arendelle before he could no longer see it. A sigh escaped his lips as he turned around so that he leaned against the rail with his elbows propped up. He gazed at the cloudless blue sky, being lost in his thoughts. He frowned though when the image of that same hidden woman came into his mind, wondering who it was.

Was it someone he knew?

He felt that the woman was close to him. Why and how? He didn't know. He didn't know any of it and it was bugging him.

Once they reached at the entrance of the North Mountain, they thanked the Captain who tipped his hat as a response before he sailed away. They all trekked up the hill in silence, each of them being lost in their thoughts. As they reach their familiar surroundings, they were greeted in silence.

"Chip?" Sora called out. "Dale?"

There were no response which made them worry.

"Where could they be?" Kairi wondered.

All of a sudden, two small figures jumped from their spots and ran around Sora who swayed to the side from the unexpected jump though this earned a laugh from Sora.

"Sora!" one of the figures exclaimed after they were settle.

"Hey guys," Sora laughed, extending his hand out so that the two can walk down and rest on his palm.

Sora brought his palm closer, giving them a grin. "You guys okay?"

"It was cold but we survived," Dale chirped. "What happened?"

"Er, it's a long story," Sora replied, scratching at the back of his head. "Is the ship okay? It must've been pretty frozen badly."

"The ship was frozen; took us a while to unfreeze but we rested and by the time we got ready to fix the ship, the ice was already melting," Chip said. "Now come on. I sense a new portal had been opened!"

Excited, the two chipmunks jumped off Sora's hand and they scurried towards the ship. He grinned as he followed them shortly before he turned around to stare at the group.

"Well, guys ready?"

Riku grinned. "You bet!" he laughed, jumping on Sora as he yanked Sora closer to him and ruffled his hair.

"Hey, not the hair! Not the hair!" he complained. "Man, it took me _forever_ to get those spikes on, he grumbled, shoving Riku off of him as he tried to fix his hair.

Riku shrugged. "Pfft, whatever."

Sora was about to take another step but then stopped. He lowered his head and closed his eyes before he felt the familiar light coming into his hands though this made Riku raise an eyebrow. Sighing, Sora extended his hand out and Riku realized what it was.

"I'm sorry," Sora mumbled.

Smiling faintly, Riku grabbed hold of his Keyblade, having the familiar feel touching his hand. He lowered his hand down and allowed the Keyblade to disappear.

"For taking my Keyblade without my permission, I don't forgive you. But for taking care of it, I forgive you," Riku grinned, patting on Sora's head.

Sora rolled his eyes, shoving Riku off. The group entered the ship and they all took their usual seats with Donald being the pilot.

Sora slumped down with an apprehensive look. There were still so many questions that were left unanswered and he desperately needed to know the answers to them. The woman in his flashback still haunted his mind and when Cruella showed them the stolen page while also telling him how he didn't wanted to be a hero anymore and that may be why his Keyblade wouldn't show up.

It bothered him, needless to say.

He wondered if he could possibly go to Merlin whenever they go back to Traverse Town and talk to him about it.

In short, he just _needed_ to know.

"Hey, you okay?" Kairi asked, nudging him.

"Hmm? What?" Sora blinked. "Oh yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired I guess."

Before Kairi could say anything further, Goofy yelled out. "Hang on tight! Here comes the portal!"

The ship picked up speed and then they were gone, going inside the portal, disappearing from sight.

 **Author's Note:** Whoo, Frozen is done! Huzzah! I hope you enjoyed it! The next one is going to be even wilder so I hope you'll be looking forward to it. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	31. A Wisp of Fate

**Shout Outs:** Thanks to MetanoiaRose for reviewing the story.

* * *

Chapter 29: A Wisp of Fate

" _When the time is right, you'll attack them!"_ a flash of worry went across Kairi's face though she rubbed her neck. Did she really had to do it? What was she thinking? Of course she does.

But…why did it felt so wrong?

"Kairi? Kaairiii!"

"Sora, don't be such a creep," Riku rolled his eyes.

Sora frowned. "She's been zoning out for a while. Aren't you the least worried about her?"

"Of course I am. I just don't think that you should invade other people's privacy when they _clearly_ want to be left alone in their thoughts."

"And I suppose you're some kind of an expert, eh?" Sora shook his head, slightly amused.

Riku grinned.

"Kairi!"

"Huh!?" Kairi shouted, snapping herself back to reality as she stared at the front with wide eyes. Riku shot her a surprised look from the sudden reaction while Sora breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Hey! Buckle up your seatbelts. We're going to enter another world in a few seconds!" Donald exclaimed, peering out of his seat.

A small turbulence took over the ship which caused the trio have an unsteady balance.

"Woah!" Sora exclaimed as he fell down to the ground.

"Just kidding. We have already entered in," Donald replied.

"Donald!"

They eventually landed at the thickest of what it looked like woods. The sun had already set itself behind the sky, casting the woods into darkness and that could only mean that it was nighttime. Sora stared at the darkness ahead but he didn't feel the ominous sensation he was so used to feeling.

"New world, new adventure," Riku suddenly said. "What do you suppose we will run into this time?"

"I don't know but we won't find out if we continue to stay here," Sora said which earned a nod.

"Let's go," Goofy said.

The group began to walk further into the woods until they came across two paths, leading them to a different pathway.

"So uhm which way?" Kairi asked.

"Uh…"

As the group were deciding which way to go, Sora turned his head to the side since he thought he saw something glowing. Curious, Sora separated from them and began to walk towards it; the voices from his friends faded away into the distance.

"…great, have we all decided?"

"Yes but just one question," Donald spoke.

Riku sighed. "What is it?"

"Where's Sora?"

Eyes wide, Riku turned around and indeed saw that Sora was missing and this earned an exasperated sigh from him.

"Come on. Why now?" Riku groaned. "Alright everyone. Forget about the plan. Let's find that…person."

Donald snorted. "Can't we just leave him to his demise?" he muttered.

"Donald!"

"Kidding, kidding," Donald said hastily.

* * *

Sora continued to follow whatever had grabbed his attention and when he got close to it, he suddenly realized that it was a burning blue light that seemed to be floating in mid-air.

"What the?" Sora furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at it with wonder and curiosity. "What is that?"

All of a sudden, the blue light suddenly vanished which made Sora be surprised as he let out an exclaim.

"Hey, wait!"

The second one appeared right after the first one though Sora followed the trial, not knowing where it would lead him. Not too far behind, the group were following the same path as Sora but there was still no signs of Sora, to them at least. But he couldn't be that far ahead.

"Where are you leading me?" Sora muttered. However, he suddenly stopped as he reached the end of the path which made him be stumped.

"Great…"

"Sora! Sora!" a voice exclaimed but Sora paid no attention to it. He knew his friends were looking for him since he disappeared but he paid attention to the small cottage house that was just beyond the woods.

"Sora, damn it. Stop running off," came Riku's voice who panted. "Do you know how hard it was to find you?"

"Yeah, that's great," Sora said as he brushed Riku off and headed towards the house.

Riku frowned as he watched Sora walking towards something though when Riku peered over his shoulder, Riku realized that it was a small cottage house. However, before Sora walked further, he stopped.

"Hey uh…did you guys see like a small burning light down this path?" Sora questioned though the blank looks from his friends told Sora everything. "Guess not."

"What blue lights?" Kairi asked.

"Nah, just forget it," Sora shook his head before he walked towards the house.

Shrugging, the group followed behind him until they reached the door.

"You think someone's in there?" Donald asked, earning a shrug from Sora.

Sora knocked on the door as he called out. "Hello? Anyone in here?" he shouted.

They waited a few minutes until Sora began to open the door.

"Wait, Sora. You can't just walk into someone's hou—oh forget it," Riku muttered since Sora was already inside the hut.

Once they were inside, the house settled itself in the darkness since there were no lights at all.

"Huh, I guess no one's here," Kairi spoke quietly.

"Yeah guess so…" Sora mumbled.

"Oh I wouldn't be too sure about that," a nasty voice spoke said which made everyone on high alert.

However, Donald let out an exclaim of shout the minute the lights were flickered on and he quickly went behind the group. He peered out only to see a small witch. She had small short grey hair with bulbous gold eyes and an elderly wrinkled face. She had large ears with a large curved prominent nose. She wore a green dress that had sewn patches.

Just from taking a look by her, it made Kairi feel uneasy. She was a witch and just how much can a witch see through people?

"Now, what brings you lads and girl to my home?" the witch asked though she frowned. "Without my permission, of course."

Sora grinned sheepishly as the others gave him a glare. "Erm, yeah sorry about that," Sora apologized as he rubbed his neck. "No one's home so uhm, I just thought—"

"You just thought that it was okay to barge into people's houses. Tell me, boy, do you do that at your home?"

"Er…no? Maybe? Sometimes?" Sora stammered.

Riku snorted. "Try every damn time."

"But I suppose you boy are young and full of curiosity and I suppose I can forgive you."

"Gee, uh thanks."

"Yes, yes. Now run along. You wouldn't want to miss your journey, now do you?" a mad gleam shone in her eyes which made them feel uneasy. Something about this witch felt odd.

"Uhm, y—yeah. Wouldn't want that," Sora said a bit nervously. "Uhm, enjoy your day!" he spoke as he ushered the group out from urgency.

However, just as Kairi was about to get out, a hand grabbed her own which startled her a bit and she turned around to see that the witch was staring at her with an ominous look.

"You may be fooling others but you're not fooling yourself," the witch said. "Be careful by being whose side you're on. You may not like what you seek. It'll be too late for you to regain their trust."

Kairi automatically withdrew her hand and narrowed her eyes. "Don't know what you're talking about," she sneered. "Mind you. I have powers and if I use them on you, you won't like it."

The witch laughed, a nasty one. "Are you seriously threatening me with magic? I'm a _witch_ , dearie. Like you, I have powers."

Kairi straightened herself as she locked her gaze on hers. However, the cold stare didn't affected the witch.

"We shall see about that," Kairi spoke before she exited out of the hut with the witch muttering and staring coldly at her.

"Yes, we shall see…" she sneered before closing the door.

 **Author's Note:** Hi guys! I'm back! I was busy focusing on Spider Man: Corrupted—feel free to give that a read! But I'm back and if you know what world this is then congrats to you! The blue light and the witch are a dead giveaway—hint hint—but anyone else would love to see a showdown between Kairi and the witch? Let me know! What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	32. New Allies

Chapter 30: New Allies

"Hey, Sora. Any chance we could take a rest? We've been walking nonstop and I'm getting tired," Donald muttered, irritated.

"No, you guys. We're almost there, I think," Sora insisted. "Just a bit longer."

Riku rolled his eyes at Sora's stubbornness. "How do you even know what you're looking for?"

"Um…heh…I actually don't but I'm sure that once we find it, we can rest."

The group groaned at the lack of plan Sora had. Nevertheless, they continued to walk into the night until all of a sudden, something materialized in front of them, blocking their path.

"Heads up, it's those Skeletal beings!" Goofy exclaimed as they all took out their weapons.

"Sora, run!" Riku commanded as he stood protectively in front of Sora.

"But I can fight!" he insisted.

"Just go!" Riku yelled.

Sighing, Sora ran to the opposite direction. If Riku's in charge then there's no way for him to back down.

 _Come on, Keyblade. Where are you?_ Sora thought. _I do want to fight. I do want to help my friends. But I can't do it if you're not here!_

Sora suddenly stopped as he sensed that something wasn't right. He turned around and saw more of the Skeletal coming after him.

 _Oh great._

"Get back! I'm warning you!" Sora yelled.

However, they didn't heard him and began to lunge at him. Sora gasped though he gave a grunt when he tripped, falling down.

 _Ow_ , Sora muttered as he rubbed his side. He looked up to see the creatures jumping at him and Sora lifted his arms in front of his face. In a flash of light, something appeared in Sora's hands and Sora unknowingly grabbed hold of the cold handle.

"What the?"

Sora removed his arms from his face and widened his eyes as he stared what he was holding.

"Oh, no way!" Sora breathed.

It was his Keyblade.

Eyes narrowed, Sora swiped at the creatures, defeating them with twists and turns while yelling out magic spells until they were all gone. While being exhausted, Sora trailed down, grinning as he gripped the handle tightly.

"Alright! That's what I'm talking about!" Sora grinned. "Wait till the others sees this!"

 _I knew Cruella was wrong._

Excited, Sora went down the path, going for his friends. But as he turned, Sora must've taken a wrong turn since he didn't remember this part of the path. All of a sudden, as Sora took another step, a _thwing_ sound was heard and Sora let out a shout of surprise as he got whipped up.

* * *

" _Merida! Come back here!" a stern voice shouted, annoyed._

" _No, mother! I'm done here! And I've said it before. No means no!"_

" _A princess does not raise her voice!" the mother replied angrily before she sighed. "Merida, this is what you've been preparing for your whole life!" she exclaimed._

 _Furious, Merida got up and the chair scraped against the wood. "NO! It's what you've been preparing me for my whole life! I won't go through with it! You can't make me!" she shouted, grabbing her bow and started to storm out._

" _Merida! Merida!" the mother shouted after her but the red-head ignored her._

"Um, I'm sorry to intrude your dinner, your Highness," another voice spoke which stopped Merida.

"What?!" Merida snapped and she looked up to see a guard. She blinked. "Oh…um, sorry," she muttered.

The guard cleared his throat. "But uh there were intruders who were headed this way and claimed to be not the bad guys."

Merida raised an eyebrow as the King spoke. "Intruders?"

Almost immediately, the three of them followed the guard who entered the prison. He held the door opened for them and Merida followed down the path while the solider was behind them.

"Just this way," the solider spoke.

When they reached the cell, Merida raised an eyebrow and walked towards them.

"Who are they?" Merida asked once she was able to spot the group. She gave a funny look at the feathered duck and a goofy-like being.

"I don't know but they're not from here," the solider spoke.

"You know…if you asked us, we would've been able to answer your damn questions," an annoyed voice spoke.

"Riku," another voice hissed.

Merida studied the prisoners. One of them had blue hair and the other boy had a brown hair. The girl, however, had a darker shade of red though Merida had her eyes go down since the brunette was holding a peculiar object in his hands.

"What's that?" Merida asked, eyes wide as she pointed to the item.

Sora looked down as he noticed what she was looking at. "This? Um…it's nothing…" he answered and made the weapon disappear.

Fascinated, Merida leaned in closer, wanting to know more.

"I think we should release them and let them tell their story." Merida suggested.

The King gave a thoughtful look as he stared at the prisoners. He was also curious as to who they were and what they're purpose is and maybe they could also explain the sudden creatures that suddenly showed up.

"I think we should. Perhaps, they could answer as to what is happening and there are these strange creatures that suddenly appeared out of nowhere and they seem to know more than they let on."

Sora perked his ears as he heard the 'strange creatures' from the man. "Strange creatures? How do they look like?"

"Well…uh…" the man cleared his throat. "They have more of a skeletal creatures than actually being a person…they've recently started to show up."

Sora racked in his brain. The minions…if they are here, then they must be after the page. Cruella already got one of them in Arendelle and Sora couldn't afford to lose one again.

"What if I told you I know what they are and why they are here?"

Sora's friends turned to the side and stared at him with incredulous looks on their faces. This seemed to have gained their interests though Elinor was still not fond of them.

The King nodded. "Very well. We'll hear your story."

Once the group got out of the cell, they went to the Throne room where the King and Merida were waiting for an explanation while the guard stood at the door with another solider. Of course, Riku and the others went behind Sora since after all, it was his suggestion so he should tell the story.

Nevertheless, Sora started telling why they were here and because Merida already saw him making the Keyblade disappear, Sora had to tell what the weapon was as well.

"…So, my theory is that the reason why the creatures are here is because of the page that's most likely located here," Sora said. "It's important for us to obtain the page."

"I see…" the King muttered. "Well, I sincerely hope you can do whatever it takes in defeating the beasts. I wouldn't want them to cause any more harm. Not like what happened to us…" he spoke with a heavy sadness.

Sora trailed his eyes to the left and noticed that there was an empty throne chair that was beside the King. Interested, Sora asked.

"Um, if I may, your Highness, what happened to the Queen?" Sora questioned.

The King closed his eyes for a few seconds before he reopened them.

"I guess it's only fair that we tell the story…"

 **Author's Note:** Ta-dah! So yes, to clarify any confusion, Elinor is not there! She had already been transformed into a bear. But hooray for Sora for finally getting his Keyblade! What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	33. A Chilling Tale

Chapter 31: A Chilling Tale

"You see…I'm not even sure myself at all. I thought it was all a dream. A terrible one…" the King began as flashbacks came into his mind.

"There was a spell that came from the unknown. I didn't know where it came from. The curse had transformed my wife into something where I thought I would never see again; it transformed her into a bear...but why, I would always ask myself. Why would she be turned into something she's not?" a grieving look fell upon his face.

"It was hard...for me to cope with it at first. I almost killed her...since I thought the bear was an actual bear."

Sora couldn't help but to feel sorry for them. He could tell that the King had loved her greatly and it pains him that he couldn't be with his wife.

"I looked in every book on how to break the curse but nothing. You see this?" the King gestured to his wooden leg. "It got bitten by a bear long ago. We call him Mor'du. The worst kind of bears there is," his face darkened.

"So what happened to the bear erm... Mor'du?" Riku asked.

The King gave a grunt. "Who knows? Some say he disappeared, going back to his slumber. Others say that he's still out there, waiting..."

"Don't worry, sir! We'll defeat Mor'du if he's still around and we'll break the curse on your wife!" Sora proclaimed.

Merida bit her lip as the King thanked them. As the group exited the Throne room, they stopped in front of the closed doors.

"So...wise guy. Any idea on _where_ this bear might be located?" Riku asked Sora. "And how do you expect to break the curse on the Queen especially if we don't have that much knowledge on the curse?"

Sora gave them a sheepish grin. "I've got it all worked out. Well kinda..." he replied, rubbing his neck. "Since this place has evil lurking around, I thought we could use this chance to find the lost page."

Riku gaped at him. "So...you were lying to the King then?"

Sora blinked, shaking his head. "What? No. No," he refused. "We're still going to help him out."

"I...I don't know, Sora..."

Before Riku could say anything else, the door got opened which revealed Merida.

"Ah, it's a good thing you guys are still here..." she said.

The group gave her a dumb-founded look.

"Good...thing?" Donald spoke.

"Um...hehe..."Merida laughed sheepishly, twirling her fingers around. "Um you know the Quern's Bear story?" she asked, earning a nod. "Um...I might've got something to do with it..."

The group widened their eyes as Donald exclaimed "What!" though Merida already began to sprint.

"Follow me..."

* * *

"So um...yeah...I thought by going to the Witch, it might set the record straight but it didn't..." Merida finished the tale.

Sora made a thoughtful look. "The Witch...? You mean, the one who lives in that old cottage house?"

"Ya. You met her then?"

"Heh...yeah, we did..." Kairi muttered. "She gives us the creeps."

Merida chuckled. "She always does..."

Noticing the area, Merida whispered. "Okay, this is where my mother is located. But we would have to be quiet. Any noise and she would freak out."

Merida paused. "Stay here."

With that, Merida continued to walk forward until she wasn't in sight. Sighing, Sora sat down and played with the grass as the side of his face was rested on his palm.

"Do you think we should go after her?" Sora questioned.

"Um, I'm sure she should be fine. In all honesty, she knows this place better than the rest of us, considering the fact that she lives here..." Riku answered, joining him. "But...I'm glad you got your Keyblade. I was beginning to be worried."

"Yeah, me too," Sora said.

All of a sudden, a scream came which quickly jolted everyone in alert. Riku and Sora jumped from the sudden yell and Sora stared ahead with wide eyes.

"That's Merida!" Sora exclaimed, summoning his Keyblade. "Let's go!"

They raced ahead, following the path as to where they thought they had heard the scream. They came through only to see something large and black standing at the front.

Upon sensing new presences, the creature started to turn around and gave out a roar as it saw the group who got readied.

"Go, guys!" Donald yelled.

Everyone charged at the bear who started to run at them. However, as the group came closer and when the bear lunged, a voice got called out as it stood between them, cancelling them.

"NO! Stop! BOTH OF YOU!"

The group and the bear stopped charging as they looked at Merida who gave a nervous laugh.

They gave a sigh of relief when they saw that she was fine.

"I thought something happened to you. We heard a scream..." Goofy spoke.

Merida gave them a dumb founded look before she realized what they were talking about.

"Oh! That. Um...yeah about that. That was me screaming in pain because I stepped on something and the bottom of my foot is aching but yeah...sorry," she winced when she saw the glares. "But anyway! Guys, I want you to meet my mom!" she flashed them a smile as she pointed to the bear who was growling.

"Shh...Its okay, mom. They're nice," Merida replied. "Sorry; she can be uptight sometimes."

"No worries," Sora responded, withdrawing the though this got the bear aroused, suspicious of them.

"Mom, it's alright," Merida insisted.

"So um...how do you break this curse?" Kairi asked.

Merida hesitated. "Um...from what I learned...you can't. Well, I mean you can but..." she took a breath. "I have to repair the bond between my mom and me and if I don't do it before sunset on the second day, my mom will be a bear forever."

As evening rolled around, the group and Merida went to the library after they had a talk about the pages.

"The book...or at least the page should be around here..." Merida grunted as she pushed the heavy doors opened.

"Problem is...I don't know where to look," Merida said.

The library was huge with tall walls that stretched up to the ceiling. Several lights were scattered throughout the room, brightening up the damp room.

Riku whistled at the monstrosity of the library.

"Wow," Riku said, impressed.

"Right then...I think the best way to look for the page is to look for it," Merida spoke.

"Alright. Let's split: Riku, Merida and I will search the right section and you three will search the left section," Sora said as he looked at Kairi, Goofy and Donald.

Nods came as Sora exclaimed.

"Now, let's go find that page!" Sora shouted.

 **Author's Note:** Whoo-hoo party search begins! I hope they'll find the page before Cruella does! What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	34. Resurrection

Chapter 32: Resurrection

Cruella materialized out of thin air with a taste of disdain. If going to other primitive worlds will get the job done then so be it.

That brat Sora had been nothing but trouble since the moment the Keyblade chose him.

Nevertheless, Cruella walked through the forest for her quest. A certain legend grabbed her interest which was why she was here. But with this legend, however, is apparently asleep and needs something to boost it up.

Cruella arrived at her destination, letting sly smile as she stared at the tall stones that blended in the night sky.

Cruella narrowed her eyes, staring at it.

"Rise," she commanded before releasing her dark red streak.

A loud rumbling was heard as the area was covered in the power. Her eyes gleamed madly when a huge roar was heard.

Out of the circle, the enormous black bear emerge, letting out snarls.

"You! The beast they speak of! Find the one called Sora and destroy him!" Cruella exclaimed, laughing.

It was done.

The ancient bear had been awakened.

* * *

The group laid down in a circle, leaning against one another as they all wore exhausted looks.

"Why is it so hard to find that one damn page?" Riku muttered.

Donald grunted and yawned. "I don't know. I'm kinda tired..."

Kairi turned her head to the side and grinned. "Well, someone decided to take a nap..."

They turned their heads only to see Goofy who had his head rested on the side of the shelf as Sora was against Goofy, sleeping on his shoulder.

Merida chuckled. "Alright. Time to hit the sack."

For the next few days, Merida kept going out in order to bond more with her bear mom, teaching her new tricks and tips. As for Sora and the others, they decided to give themselves a tour of the castle so they wouldn't be lost.

It was a very grand palace but if Sora were to be honest, he would prefer Elsa's Arendelle castle. At first glance, it may seem cold but it was actually very warm and inviting.

"So what happens if we can't find the page?" Kairi asked as they were walking down the halls.

Sora, who had his arms placed behind his head, gave a small shrug.

"I don't know but I bet Merlin does. We should visit him before going to our next trip-wherever that may be," Sora answered.

"Sounds good. We could restock some of our supplies," Riku added.

"Uh-huh," Donald agreed.

As they turned a corner, in a dark red smoke, Cruella appeared. She raised an eyebrow, searching down the hallway.

She could sense it.

The lost page...

If only she had someone that could guide her...

Having a cruel smile, Cruella disappeared and headed for a new stop.

The Throne Room.

* * *

The King rested his head on his hand that was resting on the top of the armchair.

So much has happened lately, he didn't know if he had the manpower to do it.

He narrowed his eyes.

No.

He is going to restore the palace. He _is_ going to get Elinor back.

That's a promise.

Just as the King was about to get up, something materialized out of nowhere which alerted him.

The figure cackled as it maliciously stared at the King with such an intense stare that sent shivers down his spine.

He narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Giving a small smile, Cruella waltzed towards him and she sat at the free armchair, leaning against the king while the guards were ready in case anything happens.

"The name's Cruella, sweetie," she slightly purred. "You see, I'm here for a very important parchment that just might be here and you're going to help me find it."

The King hardened his stare, not liking the displeasure aura she had been displaying.

"And what makes you think that _I'll_ help you, you wretch," he bared his teeth.

"Because I know all about your dilemma here...about how your wife turned into a bear...You see, I can help you there..." Cruella replied as she slightly stretched her arm so that her hand was at the side of his face.

"I can give you back the one thing you ever wanted. I can break the curse that had befallen on your wife...and while also in restoring your castle to its former glory..."

A small red circle enveloped her hand and the King's eyes turned red.

"Help me...and your wish is my command..."

* * *

Sora kicked a rock as he walked into the woods. He was glad that he got his Keyblade back so that now he could fight with the group. And add that to the fact that the image which flashed into his mind when they were leaving Arendelle. Who was that woman?

Sora had a hunch but he wasn't sure which made him feel a bit lonely and uneasy.

He glanced up only to see that the full moon was casting its eerie rays, illuminating the place a bit. Sora should head back inside the castle but he was only out since he had trouble sleeping; he literally had to sneak out though there were times when he was nearly got caught.

Tearing his gaze away from the moon, Sora resumed staring ahead until something from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned to the side only to see the familiar blue wisp of light, floating.

Eyes slightly wide, Sora began to follow the light that seemed to have disappear with each step Sora was taking but whenever the old one vanishes, a new one appears.

"Hey, stop!" Sora cried out. "Where are you taking me?"

Sora stopped running as he tried to catch his breath. The blue wisp was no longer there, leaving Sora stranded in the middle of nowhere. He groaned.

 _Great. Just great._

He was about to turn around until he stopped when he sensed that he wasn't alone. He whirled around and saw a cloaked figure.

" _The one with the power of the blade shall stop a rising darkness…"_ the voice murmured.

Sora narrowed his eyes. "What?"

" _With the power of the blade, he'll face the ultimate price. With the price paid, he'll be forgotten but will be revived through hope and faith…"_

The figure then started to disappear. " _Remember…the one with the blade will stop a rising darkness."_

"What do you mean by that? Wait! Don't go!" Sora yelled only to give out a frustrated exclamation.

Why is it that a person tells him something important but doesn't stick around to give him further explanations?

"Damn it!" Sora shouted to no one.

Growling, Sora began to go back home until the blue light appeared again. He scowled, staring at the light before he sighed.

 _Fine. I'll follow you one last time but that was just plain creepy. I didn't imagine it…_ Sora turned to face at the spot to where the figure was; an uneasy aura was settling in. _Did I?_

He knew he was known for having a wild imagination but he was sure that this time, he didn't even made this up. Sighing, Sora resumed following the mysterious light but this time though, he had a nagging feeling that told him he should turn back.

"Where are you taking me?" Sora muttered. He stopped when the light was finished floating and it vanished again.

 _What was the point of it again?_

This time though, Sora glanced up only to see large stones being in a circle. He raised an eyebrow as he wondered what the importance of the stones were. Curious, Sora walked between the two stones only to feel a sudden dark presence coming from there.

He gaped as he stared at the scene.

"What the?" he gasped, slowly backing away.

The middle was filled with dark magic, bubbling inside and it seemed as though it was waiting for something to escape. A sudden dark roar came and Sora was quick to sprint. Disturbed and haunted, Sora went to the other way, quickly going back to the castle as the ominous feeling was still left behind.

 **Author's Note:** Ooo, you know: somethings are just left unsaid or untold. Sora discovered a strange tale from the hooded figure followed by the Stones and Cruella brainwashed the King. What will happen next? Find out! Toodles!


	35. Bear Hunting

Chapter 33: Bear Hunting

Sora cracked one of his eyes open before emitting out a loud yawn as he stretched in his bed. He hadn't slept in like this well…before the peace had come so sleeping in was well refreshed and lovely. He was always up and running even after he defeated the darkness. And the bed was comfy too which was a bonus. Sora gazed at the closed curtains of his window but just by looking at it made Sora have a small flashback from last night.

He shuddered as he saw what he had seen. It had unnerved him especially since he hadn't seen anything like it. Should he tell the others? Probably but Sora didn't know if it was that concerning. Right now, the most important thing was to find that darn page that was giving them all kinds of trouble.

Sora was sure they would have the page in here particularly since it just _felt right_ considering how this world also has magic so Sora thought it would be fitting. Grunting, Sora rubbed the sleep of his eyes before he unscrambled himself from the bed but where he thought he had fully untangled himself from the sheets, he was proven wrong. He tumbled down to the ground unpleasantly since the sheet got entwined with his ankle.

Sora groaned from the unexpected impact, rubbing his jaw from the side.

What a great day to start off the morning.

Regardless, after fighting with the sheets, Sora finished his usual bathroom routine before he exited out of the room. He didn't know where the others would be but in any case, they would probably be at the Dining room or whatever it's called here for breakfast; speaking about breakfast, Sora's stomach growled from hunger and he put his hand over it.

 _I'm going…_

Upon entering the kitchen room, laughter boomed around the room just as Sora opened the two heavy doors. But as he opened them, all of a sudden, his face was met with something unexpectedly, totally throwing him off guard. There seemed to be a sheepish gasp which came a second later.

The oncoming attack slid of Sora's face, falling to the ground with a _flop_ sound but it only revealed Sora who was twitching from the unforeseen attack.

"ALRIGHT! WHO DID IT?!" Sora exploded, instantly having the people jump from startle.

This was _not_ how he wanted to have his morning go.

Scowling, Sora glared at the people who were surrounding the large wooden table and all of them seemed to be pointing at Donald at the same time. Donald looked at the accusation before he exclaimed.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" Donald scowled. "It wasn't me! It was him!" he shouted, pointing at Riku.

A small argument between Donald and Riku came. Merida left the group as a small amused smile came on her face and she walked towards Sora who was still fuming. She handed him a napkin while Sora joined the group.

"Thanks," Sora said as he wiped off the remaining food that was on his face.

Merida nodded. "Anytime."

Sora looked down and saw that there was a bowl of porridge in front of him. He raised an eyebrow, staring at it. Shrugging, Sora picked up the wooden spoon and stuffed a spoonful into his mouth. An odd sensation entered his mouth and he tried not to gag.

 _Ugh…porridge I can do without,_ Sora thought, making a bitter look and cringed.

Regardless, as Riku and Donald were glaring at each other, Sora kept poking his food with his spoon while Kairi, Merida and Goofy all gave annoyed sighs.

Sora sighed, placing his spoon into his mouth while he rested a side of his head onto his hand, being in thought.

 _Gee…I wonder what was up with that pit from last night. I wonder if it's still there. Either way, it didn't look good but that creep in the hood was freaking me out. What kind of prophecy was that? Maybe one of Merida's books in the library could have the answer…_

Even though Sora was deep in thought, Sora didn't notice the glance that came from Kairi as she studied him with a thinking look.

 _Hmmm…he seemed to be deep in thought. I wonder what he's thinking about…_

"…right, Sora?" a frown came. "Sora?! HEY EARTH TO SORA!"

Sora gasped from the loud yell but because of that his arm (the one that was holding his head) slipped and lost balance, causing him drop his head while dropping his spoon to the side.

"What?" Sora replied with eyes wide.

Riku smirked. "Well. Someone was certainly in a deep thought. Wonder who he's thinking about…" he grinned.

A small tint of blush came on Sora's face and he stammered, declining of Riku's thinking since Sora knew where he was going.

"N—no! Absolutely not!" Sora fumed. "It's not that!"

Riku chuckled before giving a small glance to Kairi who rolled her eyes.

 _Ugh. Boys_ , Kairi thought. She then gave a small look to the side, gazing at Sora. _Still though…he is pretty cute…_

She gasped. _What am I thinking!?_ Kairi thought and laughed sheepishly which earned odd glances from the group and she silenced herself.

"So…now that we're all coming to an end with breakfast, I was thinking we could continue our search in the library to look for that lost page," Merida spoke.

Donald groaned. "We looked a hundred times! I don't think we would _ever_ find it in the library! Besides, I don't think it'll just show up in the library just like that. Maybe there is a specific way for that page to appear…"

Riku frowned. "Well, if that's the case then how did Cruella got that page when we were in Elsa's world?"

"Who?" Merida asked.

"A friend of ours that we had met before coming to this world," Goofy answered as Merida nodded from understanding. Nevertheless, it made Goofy paused in thought.

"Hey! What about that witch we had encountered in the beginning? You know, where Sora apparently saw those blue lights ("It wasn't apparently! I swear I saw them. They were real!" Sora insisted). Maybe the witch knows the answer."

Donald shivered. "You mean that creepy old witch that lives in the cottage house? Forget it! She creeps me out! I vote that we continue to search in the library as Merida suggested."

"Gee, Donald. You're not scared, are you?" Sora's grin grew wider which made Donald frown.

"Ah, put a sock in it."

Sora chuckled but he went back to his thoughts as he suddenly got an idea. _Maybe Goofy's idea isn't that bad at all. Besides, I could kill with two birds with one stone. I could ask the witch about the page and the prophecy or whatever you want to call it._

"I agree with Goofy's idea. It doesn't seem that bad at all. Besides, she seems to know all about magic, considering she's a witch. She knows how to conjure potions and spells and whatnot…so why not give it a shot?" Sora asked.

Donald made an unhappy face. "Fine. But you're doing it. I'm not going anywhere near her."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever…"

"Great! I could come with you!" Riku replied.

Sora widened his eyes. "Uh, no!"

Odd glances were given at him, making Sora gulp from his sudden outburst.

"Uh…I mean that is…I think Merida would need all the help in the library. After all, it is a big place and going to the witch's house would only take a few minutes…" Sora stammered. "Heh…"

Merida nodded. "Sora's right. I would need all the help I could get. We could split ourselves in groups like last time and go from there."

Riku sighed. "Alright…"

"Great. So uh…I'll be back in a few minutes and I'll join you later in the library. See ya!" Sora replied before he got off his seat and made a mad dash towards the door went from out of sight.

But the look from Riku never left him. Nevertheless, Kairi was also staring at Sora, wondering about his strange behaviour as well.

 _What was that about? I wonder if he's hiding something…_ Kairi then turned to look at Riku who was staring at the direction of where Sora had just left.

 _It looks like I'm not the only one who's wondering the same thing._

* * *

 _Whew. That was close,_ Sora thought as he went down the hall. _Though, I think I might've left some giving me odd looks but hopefully, it went smooth…heh…_

Sora stared down as he lifted his hand, flexing it. A darkened look fell upon his face as his mind went back to when he saw Cruella in Arendelle.

" _In other words, you simply don't want to become a hero anymore…"_

Sora winced, remembering the shocking news of what Cruella had delivered. Could it, in some ways, Cruella could be right? That Sora didn't want to be a hero anymore?

Sora shook his head. No. Of course, he wants to be a hero still. He gets to go on an amazing adventures, travel around the worlds, fighting baddies with his awesome magic…gaining new abilities…

The list could go on but he would have to stop wandering and he would really have to look where he was going before—

 _Ompfh!_

Sora fell to the floor after bumping into something.

 _Ugh, I should really stop being so lost in thought._

"I'm sorry," Sora apologized as he lifted his head only to see the King. He widened his eyes and quickly went on his knees. "Your Highness. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to worry about…" the King responded but his voice seemed…off. Like he was dazed or spacey.

Raising an eyebrow, Sora lifted his head and stared at the King. He suddenly got a weird vibe from him which made him feel uneasy. Slowly, Sora got up and resumed the conversation.

"Um…is everything alright, sir?" Sora asked, hesitated.

The King nodded, unfocused. "Yes…yes…I was just heading…to the library…"

Sora blinked. "Oh um…alright…well…I hope you have a good read or search," he said awkwardly while shifting to the side and then making a mad dash in order to get away from the King.

 _Wow…talk about being loony. That sure was weird._

Nonetheless, Sora slightly disregarded the small talk of the King but it was still in his mind although he didn't really think twice about it as much. He eventually reached the witch's house but this time, instead of barging like last time, Sora knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

The minute he knocked on the door, it got opened, much to his surprise.

"Hello?" Sora called out.

Creaking sounds were heard from Sora as he was stepping on the wooden floor.

"I see that you have returned…"

Sora jumped from startle and he whirled around to see the witch wobbling out of the shadows.

"You mustn't mess fate, dearie," the witch responded. "It wouldn't do good for a boy such as yourself especially since you're carrying such a heavy destiny."

"Heavy destiny?"

A twinkle in the witch's eyes sparkled. "Aren't you the boy that carries an incredulous weapon called the Keyblade?"

Sora widened his eyes. "How do you know that?"

The witch chuckled as she walked towards the table. "That only confirms my theory, boy," she then paused and she turned slightly to the side, fixing her eyes on Sora. "Tell me why you're really here…"

Sora shifted in his seat. "Um…well…My friends and I…we're looking for a special kind of page and if it were to fall into the wrongs hands, terrible things would happen. Right now, they're looking for that magical page but we had no such luck in finding it. So I was thinking if you had perhaps encountered one of them?"

Without a word, the witch flipped the book that was already on the table and then once she flipped several pages into the book, she took something out. A small smile crept onto her face as she turned around but what Sora saw made his eyes go wide.

"Perhaps this is what you're looking for?" the witch grinned wider.

"That's the page!" Sora said breathlessly. "But how did you came upon it?"

"Funny story, really. You see, I was just cleaning my bookshelves since I was looking for a specific kind of book and then, this page appeared, seemingly fluttering hopelessly in its spot."

Sora widened his eyes from excitement, leaning forward to the page but the witch instantly withdrew which caused Sora almost lose his balance.

"Ah, but I'm afraid I won't just _simply_ give it to you. If you want the page so badly, I need a favor from you."

Sora groaned. As if he got time to do a favor but if he needs that page, then he must do it.

"Fine. What's the favor?"

The witch smiled twisted. "You see, I'm concocting a potion but one of the ingredients requires a bluelight flower. Its special abilities allows the wearer to be enhanced and have its magical abilities be stronger than before. But due to its nature, the potion only lasts for a few minutes."

This only made Sora sigh. "Alright. Alright. I'll go and get your precious flower but you better keep your end of the bargain. Where is this flower?"

"It's in the Rings of Stones," the witch replied as she took out another book and she flipped the old pages until she found the spot.

Sora walked forward so he could get a better look at the location but when he saw the spot, Sora gave out a gasp and he backed out, suddenly slightly being frozen on the spot.

"Something the matter?" the witch asked.

Sora's eyes widened even more as a small flashback came into his mind. He visited that place yesterday but back then he didn't know what the place was called.

"Uh, no. Nothing. Uh, I'll go get your flower," Sora stammered.

The witch smiled. "Great!"

Eyes still wide, Sora stumbled out of the cottage house and headed straight for the woods once more. Even if he was going towards the forest, he hoped that he wouldn't encounter that cloaked figure from before.

But at least, he found the page!

Rather, Goofy's suggestion had found the page but in order to obtain it, Sora has to go look for a stupid flower for the witch's potion.

 _Ugh, I don't have time to go do something girly…_

Sulking, Sora eventually entered the misty area of the forest. Like before, Sora felt the same unpleasant aura that was emitting out of the area. He felt queasy and had an instant discomfort of the current location and he wanted nothing more than to grab that flower and to get out of here.

Upon arriving, just up ahead, Sora was able to see a gleaming blue light that was reflecting off. His eyes widened from the success of finding the flower but that said flower just happened to be a few feet away from him since it settled on top of a large boulder.

Sighing, Sora resumed climbing up the slightly steep hill. It seemed weird that the flower was just sitting by itself on a rock.

"Almost there…" Sora stretched out his hand even further in attempt to grab the flower. He then moved his foot up high a bit. "Got it! Woah!"

Despite his success, Sora found himself tumbling forward, going down the boulder and down the hill, rolling until he finally got himself to stop. Groaning, Sora raised his hand towards his neck, rubbing it.

"This is what I do to get this stupid flower. I hope the witch is happy," Sora grumbled as he sat back down.

However, Sora lifted his head and suddenly got frozen in his spot. He stared at the scene before him, eyes wide with shock and his heart was hammering against his ribcage.

"Oh no…" Sora gasped. _Wasn't there an area with bubbling magic? I think this is it…whatever was bubbling inside, it's definitely gone._

Right on cue, a loud roar was heard which made Sora cringe. He wildly looked around and he quickly got up, slowly taking a few steps back. Out of the shadows, something large was coming out and it seemed as though Sora was unable to move. The shadow got closer and through the dull light, Sora was able to make out the form.

It was a large black bear with glowing eyes; one yellow and one red. That was what most of the appearance what Sora was able to make out. But as the bear was coming out of its spot, something seemed off about him but Sora had no time to ponder what it was since the bear gave out another mighty roar and this time, Sora was able to move again.

Grabbing the flower in a tight hold, Sora quickly turned around and started to run. He didn't need to know that the black bear was catching up to him. Running from blindness, Sora tripped over a rock, tumbling to the ground. He grunted before turning around and started to scramble backwards.

The bear began to advance upon him though as for Sora, his back touched against a tree and the creature kept moving forward, snarling and growling; his eyes gleaming.

The bear then lunged forward and Sora lifted his hand in front of his face, bracing for the impact.

But it never came.

Curious, Sora lowered his hand down and noticed that there was another bear that seemed to have tackled the black bear away from him and the two began to fight one another. Sora watched the scene but winced when the black bear scratched at the other one.

 _Man, I wish I could do something…_ Sora widened his eyes, mentally smacking himself. _That's right! I can! I have the Keyblade!_

Scrambling up, Sora tucked the flower inside his pocket and whisked out his hand. In a heartbeat, a tinkling sound came and instead of having an empty hand, there was a medium-sized Keyblade which made Sora grasp the handle.

 _Alright! It came!_

And the Keyblade came just in time too since the large creature shoved the other bear and the bear got hit.

"Hey!" Sora cried out, running towards them. "Knock it off! Go pick someone your own size! Deep freeze!" Sora shouted.

Even though Sora didn't necessarily aimed it at the black menacing bear, he aimed it just below his paw so that the bear jumped from discomfort and he turned his head towards Sora who just jumped in mid-air, raising his weapon above his head, being ready to strike it down against the creature.

The animal roared, baring its teeth and he was also ready to strike.

The enemy raised itself on his behind legs, making himself be even taller than before and Sora widened his eyes.

"Uh oh…" in an awkward timing, Sora called upon his new command. "Shield!"

But the timing came a bit too late since the bear was still able to slice across Sora's waist, slashing through his clothes and knocked him to the side and he struck himself against the wall, being beside the other bear.

Wincing, Sora got up and he ignored the pain. Growling, Sora raised his weapon and shouted:

"Thunder!"

The attack seemed to have work since the loud booming and the crackling lightning made the bear be at a discomfort before he changed his mind and went to the other way. Exhausted, Sora slumped back down and muttered a quick "heal!" where he was able to feel the magic coursing through his body.

Sora glanced to the side and heard the heavy breathing from the bear and he knew that it was injured. Slowly, he moved towards it but the bear didn't flinch.

Sora slightly brushed away the fur, revealing the wound that was on the bear's side.

"I hope this works…" like before, Sora raised his weapon. "Heal! Bear!"

Sora felt the magic unfolding itself since it danced towards the bear, allowing to heal the wound. The magic was then faded away, leaving an even more exhausted Sora.

"Sorry. That was all I could do," Sora replied until a twinkling item captured Sora's eyes as he stared at the head. "Hey, you're the Queen! Merida showed us to you."

If Sora could see it, the bear had just nodded its head but Sora missed it.

Sora got up and it seemed as the bear had also gotten up too. "Well, thank you for rescuing me. You better lie down and rest until that injury is healed up. Um…I've got to go…your Highness…" Sora awkwardly bowed before he took off.

However, he stopped since he gave one last glance to the bear before taking off.

 **Author's Note:** HI GUYS! I'M BACK! AND I JUST SAW THE NEW TRAILER OF KINGDOM HEARTS AND I SOBBED! IT'S BEING RELEASED NEXT YEAR AND I CAN'T WAIT! So, Sora managed to find the flower only to run into a…bear! What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	36. Wishful Thinking

Chapter 34: Wishful Thinking

"Hey, witch!" Sora called out, throwing the door open. Sora narrowed his eyes as he stared at the back of the witch.

The witch merely turned her head to the side but resumed her duties.

"I brought your flower," Sora responded as he took it out of his pocket and placed it on her desk. "Now you have something of mine."

The witch chuckled but she looked down and saw the rips in Sora's outfit. "Looked like someone had a fight. But saying please wouldn't go amiss. Nevertheless, I keep my end of the bargain."

She then walked away from the desk, going towards the bookshelf to take out a page. She then stopped.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing with this page? Remember: once every page has been collected, a new power will bestow upon you. But do not let it get into the wrong hands."

Sora hesitated but took the page regardless. They already got one taken but now this time, they got the upper advantage. Sora nodded.

"Thanks."

Sora turned around, beginning to exit but then stopped. He suddenly remembered the second reason as to why he wanted to come here. The prophecy. Or at least it seemed like it was.

"Hey um…" Sora started as he turned to face her. "You don't happen to know any prophecies, would you?"

The witch slightly darkened her face and stared at Sora with a straight look. She studied the boy who seemed to be a bit troubled even though he didn't want to admit it.

"Depends on what kind of prophecies… I only know the ones that goes through this place," the witch answered.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Um…which one is that?"

" _Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond torn by pride,"_ the witch quoted though it only made Sora confuse. "Now then…what prophecy did you need?"

"Um…" Sora hesitated before shaking his head. "No…it's okay. Forget about it. I'm sure it was nothing and just some hocus pocus but anyway. Thanks for the page, though."

With that, Sora turned on his heels and headed out as he opened the door. The minute he closed the door, he started to run away from the cottage.

 _Man, that witch is creepy,_ Sora thought as he ran through the woods. _I gotta get back to my friends._

But as he reached halfway through the woods, something started to feel amiss which made Sora stop.

"What…what's going on?" Sora wondered out loud. That was the strangest feeling he had ever felt. It had suddenly went from neutral to dark and ominous. Nevertheless, he quickly got his answers when wisps of dark clouds appeared and those strange zombie looking creatures appeared.

"You guys again," Sora growled as he took a fighting stance and his Keyblade appeared. "I don't have time for you!"

Summoning his magic, Sora defeated the group of Faceless that was surrounding him but he was exhausted. He fell down to his knees though he pinpointed his Keyblade down at the ground so that the weapon was slightly supporting Sora. Sora was shaking but when he raised his head up, he groaned.

"Seriously?" Sora moaned as he saw more of Faceless appear in the same matter.

Groaning, Sora got up while ignoring the state he was in. Obviously, they must be after that page of what Sora had obtained. Turning slightly to the side, the Faceless were also facing him from the back but Sora turned his head back to the front.

There was one magic trick Sora could perform but it would take a lot out of him.

"You guys want a magic show?" Sora smirked. "Then I'll give you one. Thunder!" Sora shouted, raising his Keyblade up in the air.

In an instant, the group of Faceless had all been defeated but it made Sora slump down to the ground.

Panting, Sora shakily got up from the help of his Keyblade as he was holding the handle to get up.

 _I need to get back…_

Grunting, Sora picked himself up and began to run towards back to the castle.

* * *

Sora kept running until he reached the Library.

"Hey guys! Guess what I got—woah!" Sora exclaimed, eyes wide.

The second he opened the door, the library was a mess. The tables were turned over and the curtains were torn. Some of the shelves were also destroyed as fallen books were either scattered or were thrown from different directions.

"What happened here?" Sora wondered. He widened his eyes even more. "Riku? Kairi? Donald! Goofy! Where are you?!"

While walking further in, Sora suddenly stopped, feeling another strange vibe in the room. But he didn't ponder on it too much since he felt that something was coming from behind him. Quickly, Sora summoned his Keyblade and in the next second, a _thunk_ was heard.

Sora struggled to keep his blade above his head but the force was a bit too strong for him though he refused to let that stop him. Wincing, Sora glanced up only to see a familiar face.

"Riku?" Sora asked.

Upon having his name being called out, Riku stopped what he was doing and Sora felt the force lighten up a bit.

"Sora!" Riku widened his eyes, letting out a relieved sigh and he lowered his Keyblade. He then turned to the side. "Hey guys. It's alright. Sora's here."

The rest of the group came out of their hiding spot.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed and she ran towards him, tackling him as she gave a hug. Sora slightly stumbled backwards from the tackle but returned the hug.

"What happened here?" Sora asked as he pulled away from the hug.

"The Faceless came," Donald answered. "We don't know who had summoned them but they came out of nowhere!"

The small flashback from the King's conversation flashed into Sora's mind. He shook his head. No. The King couldn't have possibly do something with the Faceless. Why would he side with the enemy?

Then again…he _was_ acting strange…

"You alright there, Sora?" Kairi asked which snapped him out of his thoughts. She then lowered her eyes and saw the rips. "Hey, what happened to you?"

Sora blinked. "Huh?" he looked down to where Kairi was looking at. "Oh…the rips…um…I also got attacked by the Faceless on my way back here from the witch," Sora casually replied.

"The witch…? Hey! Did you have the page? Or at least know where it is?" Goofy asked.

Sora grinned. "Even better. I _have_ the page!" he stated as he showed it after taking it out of his pocket.

The group gasped.

"Alright! We have an upper advantage," Goofy cheered. "What does the page have to say?"

Sora then looked around. "Where's Merida?"

"She left. She wanted to check on her mom to see how she's doing. We insisted that she stays with us now that the Faceless are everywhere but she refused," Riku answered.

Sora frowned and sighed. He winced. Man, if Merida found out that her mom had been injured, Sora's going to be in trouble. He lowered his head.

"Um…speaking about Merida and her mom…there's something I got to tell you…"

The group stopped what they were doing as they gave him looks.

"What is it?" Riku asked.

* * *

"Mom?" Merida shouted. "Mom, where are you?"

Merida sighed.

A loud soft growl came and Merida turned around as she glanced from the side.

"Mom?"

Merida started to head towards the noise but slightly stopped until she was able to make out the shape that emerged from behind the trees. Once Merida was able to identify the figure, she made her way towards the bear, knowing that it was her mom.

"Mom!" Merida sighed, walking towards her and she nuzzled against her, burying her face in her fur. "I missed you…" she sniffed. "I didn't realize just how…lonely I would be and…huh? What's this?"

Merida removed some of the fur with her hand on the side and then there, it wasn't too bad and it looked like it was healing but the wound was still there. Closed but not opened.

"Mom! What happened to you!?" Merida cried out.

Elinor gave out a growl, warning her to stay back and to tell her that she was fine. But, Merida refused and went closer to investigate it more. Elinor gave out a growl.

"Would you let me get close…?" Merida struggled as she lifted her hand to touch it but Elinor seemed to have pulled away. "Mom! Come on—!" Merida suddenly gave out a gasp when Elinor pushed herself higher, pulling herself away from Merida and gave out a ferocious loud growl.

Merida fell back and Elinor felt the change; her eyes going wide with the sudden change.

"Okay! Okay!" Merida gasped. Elinor seemed to have calmed down after a while and the two didn't talked for a moment before Merida spoke out. "You…changed! You acted like…well, I mean from the inside…acted as a bear!"

Elinor tried to find peace with herself, calming her heavy breaths as she realized what was happening. Merida sighed, knowing she wasn't going anywhere with her mom. She lowered her head, sniffing and realized that she could lose her forever. She didn't want that.

She wanted her mother back.

"Mom…" she sniffed. "I'm so sorry…I never meant for any of this…" she choked back on a sob.

Merida suddenly felt something off. Sort of like a wispy and mysterious feeling. Elinor also felt the same and when she looked at the direction which grabbed her direction, she gave out a low, warning growl as she narrowed her eyes.

Merida lifted her head and turned to the direction where her mom was staring at it.

"Huh?" she widened her eyes from the familiarity. "Mom! It's those wisps!"

She stopped, staring at the wisps as though she was studying them. "Let's go, mom!"

The two ran after the trail of wisps, going zig zags here and there. One wisp after another, Merida could see that the wisps were becoming faded, no longer visible. They were finally gone once Merida and Elinor reached a certain place. A place where Merida didn't feel welcomed. It was ominous, dark and foggy. And definitely felt some sort of a threatening vibe.

As though an ancient evil had awoken itself from a long slumber. The ruins bore the symbol of the crossed axes.

"What…?" Merida then looked back at the path which the smoky blue had made them follow. "Mom! Why did the wisps bring us here?" she exclaimed while walking around the ruins, deciding to observe more of the gloomy place.

She shuddered, unpleasantly. She thought that this kingdom was just a legend. She didn't think it would be _real_. After a while of exploring, Merida got sucked into the surroundings that she didn't looked where she was going as she talked to her mom.

"Whoever they were, they've been gone for a long long tim—" Merida suddenly gasped as she felt the spot—which she was on—suddenly gave out beneath her and she felt herself falling down. She shouted until a _thud_ came as she made contact with the ground.

She groaned from the pain but regardless, she shook herself and shouted back to her mom.

"Mom, I'm alright! I'm fine!" she shuddered after. "Man, what is this place?"

Since she was here, she might as well explore this hidden part, whatever it is. But the whole environment was unfriendly. As she walked, it was dark and gloomy with little light so it was harder to see and plus, the air wasn't that great. A _crunch_ sound came and Merida stopped what she was doing only to look down. She made a small squeal, quickly lifting her foot as she saw was beneath her foot. It was a bone that was now cracked in two; it must've been down here for ages and that thought made Merida shiver.

She wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. Crunching up her face, she then walked on forward, resuming her small exploration. As she got closer, she then saw that the entire place was surrounded with stones. In front, there was something that had once could've been resembled to a chair…

No…more like a _throne_.

Merida widened her eyes. "It's a…throne room. Do you suppose this could have been the kingdom in that story you were telling me? The one with the princes?

The red-haired continued to go closer. She was able to see that there were more than meets the eye to the stones; in fact, there were _writing_ on them. These writing…the words…she _knew_ she had seen it before. But _where_?

"One, two, three, four. The oldest. Like…like the tapestry. The spell! It's happened before!" Merida shouted while reading out loud the texts. She then looked down to see all the scattered broken bones where she connected the dots, having a small flashback about the story from the witch and what she said about the princes.

All of it was true…

"The strength of ten men. Fate be changed. Changed with fate."

With each observation, Merida came to the conclusion and it made her heart beat rapidly, her head slightly spinning. The myths…the legends…the stories…

"The prince became…" Merida suddenly started to speak but then, a low dangerous growl emerged from the shadows which made Merida be aware that she wasn't alone.

And then, out of the shadows, a tall terrifying beast came out and gave out a roar.

 **Author's Note:** Woooooowwwwwwwwwww! HELLO WORLD! I'M ALIVE! AND…it's been a WHILE since I updated this story…I'M SORRY! BUT I've been busy with my two jobs, my novel which is currently being edited by a WONDERFUL friend ^^ so I'm pretty excited about that and I do apologize if this chapter sucked or if this world sucked. It's been a while since I watched Merida so I don't remember much but with my safe bet, I'm following some scenes on YouTube and a script I found online. BUT since Kingdom Hearts 3 FINALLY CAME OUT, I thought I would write this chapter in the honor of KH3 coming out! Woot! That being said, now that the Kingdom Hearts 3 came out, what are your thoughts on it? Are you happy or disappointed with it? What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	37. Trouble Brewing

Chapter 35: Trouble Brewing

The room was filled with heavy silence as each person were to their own. Riku shook his head.

"That can't be good," he said once Sora told them the story. "That bear…? Who's the bear?"

"Well, I thought it would be obvious. Remember the king's story? About that bear that is presumably in slumber? That bear is Mor'du," Sora said.

Donald made a thinking look as he crossed his arms over his chest. He then gave out a shout as he remembered something while he was looking through books upon books.

"Wait here!" Donald suddenly said. He then wadded towards one of the bookshelves, rummaging through them until he found the one he was looking for. "Here it is!" he shouted, bringing the book to them. He then flipped through the pages until he found it: _The Legend of Mor'du: An Ancient Kingdom Tale._

Riku shook his head. "Donald, we don't have time to read fairy tales. We need to think up of a plan on how to defeat Mor'du. And has anyone seen Merida? It's been a while."

Almost, except Donald, shook their heads but Donald refused.

"Nononono! This isn't a fairy tale…well maybe in some cases it is…" he muttered to himself. "But! This tale holds some truth to them! Here—the tale: There were four princes. The youngest one was said to be the wisest. The next son was to be the compassionate one. The second-eldest son was said to be just and the eldest was to be strong. After the king's death, the three brothers agreed to rule the land equally. However, the eldest one felt insulted and wanted all the power to himself. Because of this selfishness, the result came to a war against all four brothers and eventually, the eldest one gathered his brothers at the false promise of peace to the conflict then betrayed his brothers and murdered them."

"Gawrsh, that doesn't sound like a nice fairy tale," Goofy said. "But what's the meaning behind it?"

Donald gave out an exasperated sigh. "Come on, Goofy! Focus!"

Sora shook his head as he leaned against the wall, staring down at the floor until he widened his eyes, hearing Donald's echo from the story.

" _Betrayed his brothers and murdered them…To be strong…The power…"_

A flashback went inside his head when he remembered the large colored eyed bear that was most likely twice the size of Merida's mother.

"The bear!" Sora exclaimed which earned everyone to look at him. "The prince…the eldest one…That prince is Mor'du. He's the bear!"

* * *

Elinor ran as fast as she could with Merida riding on her back but Merida that the stone pillar Elinor just pushed wouldn't keep Mor'du back. They needed help and fast and especially some light through this thick fog. Merida looked back with a frantic look on her face, keeping her eye on the path behind her and hoped that Mor'du wouldn't catch up to her.

As Elinor ran, Merida faced forward only to give out a shout as well as Elinor. Elinor halted just in time as she saw another pillar coming into the view. Merida climbed off her back and looked at her surroundings before she talked to her mom.

"Mom! We need to get you back to the castle!"

Elinor gave out a refusing growl.

"Stop being so stubborn! If we don't hurry, you'll become like Mor'du! A bear! A real bear! Forever! Mend the bond torn by pride. The witch gave us the answer. The tapestry!"

This seemed to calm her down but she still refused to go. She knew it wouldn't be safe in the castle but she certainly didn't want to be a bear forever. She wants to be _human_ again. Elinor then turned her head towards the direction the castle would be before she gave out a nod and urged Merida to climb on her back so that they reach there faster on time.

After all, the sun was just about to set.

* * *

"Sora…S—Sora! Calm down!" Donald exclaimed frustrated as he had a hard time catching up the fast runner.

"Hurry you guys! Merida could be in danger and I'll be damned if something happened to her! Run your little feathers, Donald!"

Donald growled, annoyed.

Riku chuckled. "If anything, Merida is strong. And plus, she has a _bear_ for a mom. I think the both of them would be just fine."

Not looking where he was going, Sora responded. "Either way. Mor'du is strong of ten men! Ten! Huh—woah!"

Sora bumped into something soft and he collided on the floor, sprawling down. He groaned, rubbing his face and then he saw that something red and gold came into the view. The colors looked familiar but one look up and Sora realized that it was the King he bumped into. In the background, Donald laughed at Sora's klutziness.

"That's what you get for rushing things—Your Majesty!" Donald exclaimed and quickly stopped running and bowed rather sloppy.

"Your highness! King Fergus! Merida and Queen Elinor could be in trouble! There's a bear that is said to be awakened from the legends from his long slumber. Mor'du is real and we must find them. Have you seen the two anywhere?"

"Intruders in the castle…" he muttered which earned a confused look from Sora.

"Excuse me?" Sora asked blankly.

This time, the King lifted his head and what Sora saw shocked him. The King wasn't himself. In fact, there were wisps of black fog surrounding him and his eyes weren't normal. They were a much darker shade of black, being tainted with evil.

"Intruders in the castle!" the King exclaimed, drawing out his sword that pointed right at Sora who widened his eyes. He lifted his sword, ready to strike on Sora who had his fist tightened.

He narrowed his eyes, ready to fight but before he could even summon his Keyblade, a _clang_ was heard and it made Sora widened his eyes, staring at the newcomer.

"Riku!"

Riku struggled from underneath the strong hold of the King. "Go!" Riku exclaimed. "I got him!"

"But—"

"Just _go_ , Sora! I'll be fine. I can take care of him myself! Now go! That's an order!"

Sora drew a sharp breath but he hadn't have much time to go since he automatically got pulled away, going around the two fighters and down the hall.

"Let's go, Sora!" came Donald's voice.

Sora shook Donald's hand off his and halted himself. "Riku…"

"Sora!"

With a one last look, Sora looked at his friend before he eventually gave in and ran off. Once they were safe enough, Riku used all of his strength and pushed the King backwards so that he slightly stumbled back while Riku swung his Keyblade.

"Now, it's just you and me, pal!"

The King laughed. "You?" he sneered. "Pathetic."

At his command, more of those strange beings appeared and this made Riku drop his guard for a second.

"Aw, man."

* * *

"Come on, mom! We're almost to the room with the tapestry!" Merida whispered furiously as they carefully walked around the hallways, trying not to be caught.

But, because they were walking too fast and their minds were set on one goal, Merida didn't paid attention where she was going. A second later, as she turned around a corner, something hard had collided into her. Both sides gave out a yelp from the unexpected collision and they were dazed for a moment.

"Ungh…what hit me?"

Merida looked in front of her only to see Sora who was sprawled on the floor. "Sora? What are you guys doing here?"

"Doing what now? Huh?" Sora replied, dazed. He shook his head, getting himself in order and started at Merida. "Oh!" he then had his eyes fell on Elinor. "Queen Elinor? What is _she_ doing here?"

"I have to get back to the room where the tapestry is! If I don't…" Merida trailed off, not wanting to continue.

"If you don't…?"

Merida shook herself and she forced herself to speak out the unwanted words. "My mom will become a bear…forever! I need to go to the room!"

"But you can't! It's dangerous! Uh…"

"What? I am sorry, Sora but I am going in there and to stop the curse and to talk to my father," Merida said sternly.

"But the King isn't himself!" Sora blurted out. "He's being controlled by something—or rather by someone—"Sora muttered.

"Sorry?"

"Uh, nothing. Nothing what you will say to your father won't change his mind. He's not himself. There's nothing you can do other than leaving it to…" he trailed off.

"Leaving it to…?" Merida then took this chance to fully observe the group. After a quick observation, she noticed that the blue-haired guy wasn't with him. "Where's Riku?"

Sora clenched his fist tightly. "He stayed behind to fight off the King. I should've been the done to do it! That's why it's dangerous. You can't convince him. He won't listen."

Of course, Elinor refused to believe that her husband could succumb to such a thing. She growled from protest and anger and she wanted to be there with him. She was about to run off but Merida halted her back just in time, raising her hands up in front of her.

"No, mom! You mustn't. In the father's state, you could be…" Merida trailed off and knowing what she was going to say, she stopped.

"We need to think of another plan," Goofy said.

But before they could do anything, something from behind Merida and Elinor, started to emerge from out of nowhere. This gained attention from Sora and the others and Kairi cried out.

"Faceless!"

"Forget about the plan. You and Elinor do what you must but be careful!" Sora warned. "We will take care of these guys!"

With a nod, Merida started to go but then stopped.

"Sora…thank you. And be safe!"

"You too."

The two took off, heading towards another direction while the rest all summoned their weapons and stared determinedly at the creatures of the dark.

"Let's go!" Sora exclaimed, ready to fight the battle.

 **Author's Note:** Woot! The battle is coming and Merida's world is almost coming to an end. I believe the next chapter would be the conclusion of Brave before heading to the next world. Which I am excited about! It's one of my favorite movies of all time! Eek! What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	38. You Just Need Courage

Chapter 36: You Just Need Courage

"Be gone!" Sora exclaimed as he casted the last spell in order to destroy the beast. The creature was a tough one and he would give that since he's exhausted. The spell caused him to slump down on the ground, drained out of energy.

He peered around his area to see how well the others were doing too. They were also getting tired but luckily, the beasts were nearly destroyed. Just this last one and—

"You can thank me for that one," Donald gave Sora a smirk.

"Yeah right. I could've finish that thing off with or without your help."

"Uh huh."

"Whew. I think that's all of the ones we got here," Kairi spoke. She finished stabbing the creature and then joined Sora a second later. "We need to get going and see how far Merida is once we catch our breath, that is."

Goofy nodded in agreement. A few minutes later, the group decided to resume their walking. But as Sora got up, Kairi turned around only to gasp when she saw a Faceless emerge from the cloud and lunged at Sora.

"Sora—"

Kairi didn't had the chance to destroy the creature since something else beat to her first. Upon hearing a small _zing_ sound, Sora whirled around to see a Keyblade struck to the ground, killing off the Faceless.

"Huh…?"

"You just can't seem to go off without any trouble, can you?"

Sora looked up only to grin, having a huge smile on his face. "Alright, Riku!" he cheered, running up to him.

Bruised and battered, Riku had rejoined the group and all he gave was a small weak smile. Riku grunted from the heaviness from Sora who jumped on him to give him a hug.

"You made it out alive!" Sora exclaimed.

"You mean barely," Riku muttered. He then shook Sora off. "But we can't stay here. Because of the King being in control of the Faceless, there's no telling how many more will appear. We have to move."

The group nodded.

"Oh no! Faceless!" Goofy pointed it out.

"Come on, let's go!" Riku shouted, ushering the group to get out of the way. However, when the others were gone by turning around the corner, Kairi stopped and faced the group of Faceless that were slithering towards her.

"I don't think so. This will teach you to not _follow_ us!" Kairi replied and then she used her ice powers to create a one large blanket of ice that would freeze the entire group. Smirking, Kairi then followed the rest.

* * *

After talking to the group of army that were fighting, Merida quickly rushed towards the Tapestry room. She gently touched the ripped fabric. After studying the tear, Merida spoke, nodding.

"This isn't so bad! I just need to mend the bond! Mend the bond! Stitched up! This will change you back, we just needle and thread," Merida replied while Elinor went to look at the cabinet for a thread and a needle.

However, a small change of action and Elinor started to act like a real bear again, dropping a bowl of apples to the floor, crashing things down. Merida turned to see her mom who was snarling and growling which made her be frustrated.

"Oh no! Mom! Mom, not now! No! Please, not now! Mom!"

All of a sudden, Merida heard a familiar sound and she covered her mom's mouth as she realized that it was her father who was walking down the hall, passing by the room they were in. Merida didn't breathe until she was sure that her father wasn't in the coast anymore. She then let out a sigh of relief once the coast was clear.

" _He's dangerous!"_

Sora's warning about her father went into her mind. She needed to stop this evil that had plagued her land and her family although the curse on her mother was her fault. Still, she wondered who had placed the spell on her father: she never saw anyone doing it. Maybe Sora knows.

Shaking her head, Merida went back to work but before she could take the Tapestry off, the door suddenly burst open which made Merida stop and she looked at the newcomer.

"Dad…?" Merida breathed out, seeing the different appearance of the King and it honestly startled her. Nothing about him…nothing about the vibe he was giving off was good.

"Kill the bear!" he shouted, taking out his dagger.

"Wait, no!"

Merida dropped the tapestry and ran towards her dad to try and stop him. There's only one way how this situation could turn out and Merida didn't want to see it.

"Dad, no! It's not what you think!" she knew it was futile since he was under a spell but maybe just maybe, she could try and break it.

"That's mom! Elinor! Your wife!" Merida cried out, grabbing his arms so he wouldn't strike Elinor but it was useless as the King was much too strong for Merida. With a swift push, Merida fell down to the floor, aside and watched at how Elinor protested while rising on her hind legs.

Quickly scrambling, Merida got up and began to push the King away. But because she was in the way, Elinor accidentally scratched Merida on her arm which made her gasp from pain but she tried to ignore it. Regardless, Merida stopped as she watched her father and her mother fighting one another, circling around. And then, when there was an opportunity, Elinor hit the King with her paw with a forceful hit, having the King being knocked backwards and struck the wall. The father collapsed to the floor, giving out a ferocious growl

"MOM!" Merida shouted.

This seemed to snap her out since Elinor stopped what she was doing. For a moment, it took Elinor to see what had happened until she figured it out, making her widened her eyes from fear and shock. Afraid, Elinor backed up and stared at her hideous claws, not wanting to believe the chaos she just made. She didn't…did she? But the scratch on her daughter's arm only made it worse.

Seeing what she was looking at, Merida covered the injury with her hand.

"Mom, I'm fine! I'm alright. It's nothing. It's just a little scratch!" Merida reassured her.

But that did little reassurance. Elinor, in her fear, bolted out of the door and left Merida to call out her name.

"Mom!"

* * *

The group continued to run, hoping they can reach to Merida on time but as they ran towards the path that would lead to the Tapestry room, they then saw something in a blur running past by them. Sora halted in his tracks in order to study what the shape is.

"Aw, come on! Queen Elinor!" Sora shouted back but Elinor didn't listened and pressed on further. He then faced towards his friends. "You guys! Change of plans. We gotta go with Elinor: she went down that way."

"Aww, wish she could've told us sooner," Donald muttered.

They then turned their direction and chased after the bear. During the chase, Sora wondered why Elinor was running off alone instead of having Merida with her. What made her go alone? And where's Merida? Regardless, Sora hoped that Merida was alright.

As they got closer, Riku heard commotions which made him be curious.

"What's going on? The loud noises…" Riku called out.

"Gawrsh, I don't have a clue but I bet we will find out once we get there," Goofy spoke.

"In that case, let's hurry! If anything, it can't be any good," Kairi responded.

They then saw the group of army who were all seemingly chasing after the bear. They didn't need to ask what was happening since they got the idea. By the time, the fighters reached outside, they saw Elinor running to escape just as the bridge was closing.

"Elinor!" Sora shouted.

Just in time, Elinor escaped narrowly and the gate sealed shut.

"Why is Elinor running away? That doesn't make any sense," Riku said.

"I don't know…" Sora responded, being just as lost as Riku is.

Goofy felt something touch his shoulder. He looked up to see small droplets of water, at first. "Hey, I think it's starting to rain," he pointed it out before he then turned around only to widen his eyes. "I think that's why Elinor was running away!"

Everyone turned around and gasped when they saw a whole army on horses. But what shocked them was most, was not only did the army was surrounded by Faceless, but at the front, the King himself was also there too.

"The king? I thought you dealt with the King?" Donald asked.

Riku shook his head. "I had to bail out. The King was too strong and he aligned himself with those evil beings. I did land a few strikes on him but it was just too much."

"So how are we supposed to deal with them?" Goofy asked, slightly backing away.

"Uhm…fight them and hope for the best?" Sora said sheepishly. They then began to call out their weapons, one by one and stared at the soldiers.

"Let's just hope this goes alright," Riku muttered.

"Probably not," Donald spoke back.

And then, the group of darkness began to charge towards them and they too ran to them, weapons in hand. However, as they started to attack, they noticed something different which made them pause. Instead of attacking them, the army totally ignored them and continued to head straight towards the entrance.

"What the? Hey, we just got snubbed!" Sora cried out.

"What was the point of all this then?" Donald asked.

Kairi looked back to where the soldiers were before and then glanced at the entrance to where the group. A second later, she spoke.

"They're after Elinor," Kairi exclaimed. "They knew they were gonna waste time with us so why not just ignore us when they're after the _real_ target?"

"Ignore us, huh?" Sora scowled. "Well then! Let's get a move on! Before it's too late!"

As they began to change their direction, a sudden whip came which nearly knocked Sora down but he steadied his balance.

"What the?"

"Hey, that's Merida!" Goofy pointed it out. "And she's in a hurry!"

"Well, let's go!" Sora shouted.

* * *

The gang got there on time by arriving at the Ring of Stones only for them to see Merida striking her father's sword with an arrow. The sword got knocked out the King's head and he turned his head to see Merida jumping off the horse.

"I know you won't listen to me! You're under a spell! But…Get back! That's my mother!"

"Monster!" the King shouted.

"Mom, are you hurt?" Merida asked, walking towards her.

"Merida!" Goofy shouted in time. Upon calling out her name, Merida turned around just in time to see her father ready to strike again. Merida used her bow to deflect the attack before pushing it upwards so that the sword can be knocked out once more.

But, the King used his strength and he pushed Merida back roughly. One of his men trapped her with his own weapon. Not refusing to give up, Merida kicked him in the leg which forced the man to release. And then, she grabbed the weapon, flipping the man over her before grabbing her own sword from a nearby man.

Merida quickly ran towards her possessed father and she trapped his sword in time, blocking the blow so that it wouldn't strike Elinor. Growling, Merida didn't stop and she blocked a few blows of her own before finally going down to and did a sideway twirl to knock down her father.

Not a moment too soon and the three little bear cubs chased towards the fallen king and started their own attack.

"Boys!" Merida shouted.

Before the crowd had the time to let the words sink in, a strong shake made them be aware. Riku looked down at the ground, wondering if the ground was about to give in but then he turned to the left and saw a large shadowy monster that had emerged from the dark.

"It's Mor'du!" Riku called out.

And the ferocious bear gave out a growl. The king then, upon seeing the bear, uttered out a command.

"Kill him!" the King roared and his men charged towards him.

The terrifying beast brutally took out the fighters. Sora summoned his Keyblade and ran towards the creature.

"Sora!" Riku exclaimed.

The beast took down two men off the horses and as Sora came up, he looked up and widened his eyes. He quickly brought his Keyblade upwards to act as a shield while the beast brought down his heavy claws and clashed it against the Keyblade. Sora struggled against the heavy strength it displayed but he was no match for him. Not at his current state. The bear roughly pushed Sora out of the way and he smacked himself against the one of the Ring stones painfully.

Groaning, Sora rubbed his neck as he pushed himself up and watched as how the others were fighting him off.

"Thunder!" Sora exclaimed. This seemed to do some damage to the bear as it gave out a roar of pain.

From the side, Merida watched as how all the different kinds of power were being displayed. She was being memorized by the whole magic scene. However, it didn't last long since Sora and the others got thrown away to the sides once more. It created a clear path for Mor'du and seeing that the only live target was Merida, he then began to prowl towards her.

It took a moment for Merida to snap herself out and used hastily grabbed her bow to fire arrows, shooting at the side. It did little effects since Mor'du kept going until he eventually took out her bow and pinned her with his claws. He gave out a threatening growl, opening his large mouth.

"NO!" Sora shouted. He started to get up but winced, grabbing his side as the pain caught up to him.

Angered and furious, Elinor caught up as she felt her strength coming back and she broke free of her trap. She pushed Mor'du away from Merida, knocking him out of the way. But Mor'du was too strong and he easily roughly pushed Elinor away and headed back to Merida who scrambled backwards.

However, being protective, Elinor quickly slid to be in front of Merida to shield from the evil beast. And the two began to fight, being on their hind legs while also being as terrifying to one another. Unfortunately, Mor'du still had the upper advantage and he threw Elinor like a ragdoll against the stones, pinning her down.

"MOM!" Merida shouted.

Not giving up, Elinor used her other two feet to knock back Mor'du which was successful. Mor'du tumbled backwards, letting Elinor to quickly get up. As though that had no impact on him, the evil creature went towards Elinor, fighting and snarling while clawing at one another. But Mor'du was just too strong. He pushed Elinor at the side, throwing her against one of the stones.

Because of the impact, it made a crack at the stone and it was ready to stumble. Elinor widened her eyes but then she got an idea after seeing Mor'du was prowling towards Merida who had a spear in hands.

Elinor then scrambled up and pulled Mor'du away from her daughter before smacking him against the broken stone with a full force. However, the terrifying bear then pushed Elinor away so that she stumbled down, being in front of Merida. The angry bear walked forward threateningly as Merida shakily brought the spear in front of her.

Merida got ready just as Mor'du was walking menacingly towards them but about halfway, the large stone—where Elinor had hit Mor'du previously—began to crumble and then, as Mor'du started to pounce, the pillar collapsed, killing Mor'du on the spot.

No one said anything; not even Sora or Riku since they were all watching the scene that was unfolding in front of their eyes. All of a sudden, a blue wispy smoke emerged out of the broken pillar, forming itself into a man. Merida widened her eyes as she realized she that was but she didn't say anything since all the man did was merely nodded his head and then disappeared.

Suddenly, something bright caught her from the side of her eye and it made Merida flinch, raising her hand to cover whatever it is. She then lowered her hand down and gasped, recognizing that it was the second sunrise.

"Oh no!" Merida exclaimed, snapping herself back to reality.

She rushed towards the tapestry which was over the horse, dragging the fabric and then she quickly draped it over her mother.

And then…

Nothing.

 **Author's Note:** Welp, I lied. There's one more chapter before I'm going to do my favorite world! Yay! I'm sorry that Brave World has been dragged for too long xD but I hope I did alright with it and also, because the gang found one of the lost pages, I will do something with it differently. But the ending of KH3 was just...OH MY GOD! I cried. That's all I'm telling but in all honesty, instead of actually being a finale to the arc, KH3 just raised more questions, tbh... but it really was a fantastic game. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	39. Mysteries and Confusions

Chapter 37: Mysteries and Confusions

Merida looked at her mom with wide eyes from shock, confusion, anger and frustration.

"I don't understand…I…" Merida began as she saw that no changes were in effect. She then went into a hysteria mode. "I don't understand! It's supposed to work! MOM!" she let out a shrill cry.

Feeling upset, Sora started to go towards her but a hand grabbed his arm which stopped him and he looked to the side to see Riku who shook his head.

Merida sobbed uncontrollably, falling down to her knees. She couldn't understand. Why didn't it work? It was supposed to work! This…this was all _her_ fault.

"Oh, mom, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I did this to you, to us," she wailed and hugged tightly of the fur skin that Elinor now wear. "You've always been there for me. You've never given up on me. I just need you back. I want you back, mommy. I love you."

Merida sobbed, not caring that everyone was there, watching her and not doesn't even care that the sunrise was still coming up, casting over the darkness that once fell upon the land. It seemed that the spell that was casted on the King had also washed away which left him utterly confused but then his eyes fell upon the scene, seeing Merida who was kneeling before a large bear.

Merida continued to cry, hugging her mom tightly, not wanting to lose her anymore. It was all her fault. All her _fault_. She hated herself for what she did. If only she realized what her mom did what she did was because she _loved_ her. She was mom.

And then, something soft and gentle brushed over Merida's red bushy hair. It took a while for the red-hair to fully grasp what was going on but after a second brush, Merida instantly pulled back, giving out a gasp as she saw a figure in front of her.

"Mom?" she gasped, delighted.

"Mom! You're back!" Merida exclaimed, exhilarated. Elinor started to cry tears of happiness upon the change and kissed Merida's face repeatedly.

"You've changed!" Merida spoke, joyfully.

"Oh, darling. We both have."

Elinor kissed Merida again as Sora and the others cheered for the return of the Queen. Fergus rushed towards the two, screaming out her name.

"Elinor!" he shouted and then tumbled towards them, pulling them in a tight hug. And then, Fergus pulled Elinor close to him as they both shared the tender moment before Fergus gave her a deep passionate kiss which made Merida awkward, blushing a little.

"Oh dear," Elinor muttered, her cheeks burning.

"Merida!" Sora shouted, running towards them. However, Merida saw the group and gasped, stopping them.

"Wait! No! Turn around!" Merida exclaimed, blushing furiously.

"Why do you want us—Oh!" Sora gasped and embarrassingly turned around which made Riku snigger as he did the same.

"Shut up, you guys," Sora muttered, rubbing his neck.

However, the three little brothers then came, running around and went to their father who grabbed them.

"Now, that's what I call a wee naked baby!"

* * *

After the happy ending that came for Merida's family, Sora wandered off alone into the woods until he arrived at the small cottage. Upon arriving at the door, he took a breath and then, as he was about to knock on the door, it suddenly opened by itself. Sora stared at the entrance before entering in.

"Hello, witch?" Sora called out.

It seemed empty. Sora started to explore the small cottage a bit until a voice startled him.

"You know, it's rude to touch someone else's thing," the voice spoke.

Sora whirled around while holding a small bottle in his hand and in front of him, the witch was there.

"Ah, Sora. What do I owe the pleasure of visiting me?" she asked.

Sora got the feeling that it was anything _but_ pleasure. "Um…" he then placed the bottle back on the table. A small flashback came into his mind back to the time where he found the Ring of Stones and there, he saw a figure who said some sort of a riddle.

"Um…do you remember when I asked you about if you know any prophecies?" he started.

"Ah, yes. You were very hesitated about it. I assume you gathered courage to ask me about it?"

Sora nodded. "Yes…the prophecy said… _The one with the power of the blade shall stop a rising darkness…With the power of the blade, he'll face the ultimate price. With the price paid, he'll be forgotten but will be revived through hope and faith,"_ her recited. "What does that mean?"

For the time being, the witch was in thought as she gathered the information Sora had just told her.

"I don't know," the witch said suddenly which shocked Sora.

"Huh? Don't know? Oh come on! You have to know! I know you know!"

"Even if I know, I wouldn't tell you anyway. Prophecies aren't meant to be tampered with," she responded. "Anyway," she changed the subject before Sora could ask her more. "I do want to give you something."

She then went towards one of her cabinets and there, she pulled out a small vial that had blue luminous liquid. She walked towards Sora with the bottle and showed it to him.

"This is for you. It is something for your journey and I have a feeling you need it."

"Woah…" Sora started to take it but then stopped halfway. "What is it?"

The witch smiled as she shoved the bottle in his hand. "Just a little something."

Sora studied the vial as he exited out of the cottage and then stopped as he got to observe the liquid more. He frowned before he widened his eyes from the recognition.

"Hey, wait a minute. Is this from that—"when he turned around, he saw that the door was closed. He stared at it then gave a small smile before tightening his grip around the vial, stuffing it in his pocket then ran away.

After the gang said their farewells with promises that they would return, they found themselves already in their Gummi ship. Riku decided to take control of the ship while the others were doing their own thing. Sora lifted the paper and tried to study it but to no avail. Regardless, now that they had found the lost page, what were they supposed to do with it? Keep it secured until they found all the other ones?

But even if they found all the pages—except for that one since Cruella already has it—what were they going to do about it?

"Argh! That's it! I can't take it anymore!" Sora suddenly exclaimed, standing up. This earned surprised and startled looks from everyone.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Goofy asked.

"Everything is all so confusing. What are we supposed to do with this page? How can we read it? What's it for? WHY IS EVERYTHING SO CONFUSING?!"

Donald grinned, mischievously. "Well, it's easy why everything is confusing for you…you don't have a brain."

"Donald!" Sora growled, glaring at him while he laughed.

Riku chuckled from the front. "Okay, how about this: why don't we go to Traverse Town and seek out Merlin. Maybe he knows what to do with the page and could perhaps translate it," he suggested.

Goofy nodded. "I think that's a great idea. And even more so, we can replenish our supplies as well."

Sora formed his hand into a fist. "Yeah. Gee, thanks Riku!"

Riku smirked. "Anytime."

* * *

In a small house that's hidden reside a wizard with powerful magic. He has a long white beard with a blue pointy hat with a matching blue outfit. He wore glasses with circular lenses and seems to be bald but there is a bit of white hair at the sides. He fixed his spectacles as he was currently tending a visitor; a visitor whom he never expected to find.

"I don't understand," the powerful being replied, confused. "So…you were attacked?"

The person nodded. "Yes. I…" the guest frowned. "I wasn't sure, to be honest. I just saw something that attracted me and the next thing I knew, I was…frozen."

Merlin frowned. "Well, this is…odd…And you say that the others already left, Kairi?"

Kairi shrugged. "It would seem that away since I've been frozen for a bit longer than I hoped to be."

"Lucky I found you. I shudder to think what would've happened if I hadn't…We might've lost you," Merlin replied, shaking his head.

Kairi gave him a small smile. "Any chance you know where the team went? I would really like to get back to them."

"I—"

A knock on the door came which surprised Merlin.

"Quick, hide," Merlin urged her. "Hide behind my desk."

Without a thought, Kairi did as she was told and once she was hidden, Merlin cleared his throat and spoke.

"Come in."

As the door opened, it revealed the gang who all greeted the wizard as they came in, one by one.

"Ah, Sora. Pleasure to see you. Riku…and Kairi…" but as he got to Donald and Goofy, he then sputtered, surprised. "Kairi…?"

The real Kairi, who was hiding behind the desk, slowly crawled to the opening and peeked carefully. Her eyes immediately landed upon a…person that looked like her…? She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, staring at the figure with a blank look.

That doesn't seem right.

Regardless though, Kairi forced to restrain herself so that she wouldn't jump on the 'fake' Kairi to beat her senseless.

How dare she!

Or…how dare her?

Composing himself (though the surprise reply didn't went unnoticed by Riku), Merlin greeted Donald and Goofy before he got to the question.

"Do what I owe the pleasure of seeing you all? It's been a while."

"Yes, it has been," Sora agreed. He then stuffed his hand in his pocket to pull out the page and walked towards Merlin who widened his eyes upon seeing the paper.

"My stars!" he gasped. "Is that—"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, we found it while going to Merida's world—a new friend of ours. The only problem with this page is that we have no idea what it seems. We're wondering if you could maybe somehow translate it for us…?"

"Hmm…" Merlin took the paper and studied the foreign writing, stroking his beard until he spoke again. "I do believe I can translate it for you. However, it will take about two days at most. So until then, why don't you rest up?"

Sora nodded, grinning. "Gee, thanks Merlin! I knew we could count on you!"

Merlin chuckled. "Anytime, Sora."

As the group shuffled out one by one, Riku was about to close the door until he stopped. His grip tightening on the door.

"Anything the matter, Riku?" Merlin asked.

"Um…I don't know…" Riku rubbed his arms. "It's just that…" he took a breath. "Kairi seems different with us. I don't know if the others can sense it but something just doesn't feel right with her. Like she's not even herself."

A familiar twinkle gleamed in Merlin's eyes and he straightened himself, staring with a hard look at Riku.

"Listen to me carefully, Riku. If any other odd behaviour escapes from Kairi, proceed with caution. And be on your guard. If she doesn't seem like herself, protect the others. Especially Sora."

Riku nodded, heeding Merlin's warning. "I will. Thanks, Merlin."

And then, Riku closed the door which left Merlin to his thoughts. But after the door was closed, the real Kairi got out of her hiding spot though she had a furious look on her face.

"How dare she take my place! My place!" Kairi raged.

Merlin raised his hand. "Calm down, Kairi."

Kairi pinched at the bridge of her nose and let out a small breath. "Sorry. It's just…I'm so mad. What do we do now? Who is Kairi really? And I knew I could count on Riku! He was always the observant one, no offense to Sora or anything…"

"That is true but…" Merlin closed his eyes as he spoke out the next sentence. "Whoever the fake Kairi belongs to, the group may be in terrible danger!"

Kairi gasped.

 **Author's Note:** Yay! The real Kairi is back! I hope this won't be confusing with the fake and the real Kairi. But good thing that Riku is on his guard as always! And we're finally done with Merida's world! Woot! And as I mentioned before, because they found the page, the next chapter will be different. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	40. Lost Page Report 2

Lost Page Report 2

I know not of what I found but based on my research, it looked like it might actually be it but looks can be deceiving. Which is why I'm not going to go ahead and believe that it's true.

This… _power_ is dangerous especially if it comes in the wrong hands as well as my research. I must burn it. But despite being it powerful, I cannot let my study die just yet. I must find the location of this magic power before I burn my reports.

Regardless, this magic may seem to be the key to stop the rising darkness. I pray that this is true.

But something about this magical ability seems off. If a person uses this ability, they will pay the price. A terrible price.

But what of the price? I do not know though I must find it soon.

Even if this magic must be paid, even if it will help against this darkness, I must find it and put a stop to this evil.


	41. In a Kingdom Far Away

Chapter 38: In a Kingdom Far Away

Sora blinked at the report they had just gotten. Two days had passed and Merlin had finally translated the page for them and to be honest, the group was confused.

"What? Lost Page Report 2? Where's the first page? What power are they talking about?" Sora bombarded Merlin with endless questions.

Riku made a small chuckle, feeling Sora that he was going in an antic mode. "Calm down, Sora. It would make sense that we would have the second page of the book because Cruella had the first one. Don't you remember?"

Sora narrowed his eyes though his shoulders slumped. "Yeah," he sulked. "But without the first page, the report wouldn't make sense."

"Yes that is true," Merlin agreed. "But for now, we must do what we can. Perhaps if you were to go to the next world, we may be able to get the third page before Cruella gets to it."

After the meeting, the group were already on the ship but the thing that was stopping them from flying to a new world was opening a passageway.

Sora paused to think. Right. Next world. Only problem is that he doesn't know what world to go to. Meanwhile, Donald tapped his foot impatiently, wearing his scowl.

"Well? What's the hold up?" Donald exclaimed. "This should be easy for you!"

"Oh, give me a break Donald! I just got my Keyblade. These things take time!"

"Don't mind Mr. Impatient over there. Believe in yourself. I know you can do it, "Kairi spoke as she laid her hand on his shoulder.

Sora stared at her crystal blue eyes, giving a smile and nodded.

"Thanks, Kairi."

While Sora seemed convinced, Riku wasn't but he slightly let it passed. Taking a breath, Sora felt his weapon materialized in his hand and he gripped it tightly. He then pointed to the large window, aiming it at the vortex. A medium sized keyhole began to appear, shimmering and there a new world came.

Sora twirled his Keyblade around before making it disappear.

"Alright! New world, here we come!"

The ship took off, going to the new world that is waiting to be explored.

* * *

"The musicians are not going to be happy," a voice said as it dumped out a bucket of arrows into another bucket. Orange powder puffed everywhere.

"I know but I have to practice."

"Oh no, complaints here. I think it's going to be loads of…fun," _poof_! The same orange powder exploded in the first man's face. He coughed, getting rid of the powder from his lungs.

"The Great Animal is never going to give her up without a fight," the man with the blind fold spoke.

"You're not still thinking she's alive?"

"When I find the Great Animal, Rogers, I'll find Odette," the man spoke.

"Oh Derek, you've looked everywhere. She's not coming back. The whole kingdom knows it," Rogers responded. He didn't wanted to be this way but there was simply no other way on telling him. What's the truth is the truth. There's no point in lying. It's been several weeks since the accident and surely, if the Princess is still alive, she would've tried to make some contact in any way she can.

Derek, who was muscular, had brown straight hair with a slender body type. He also had fair skin while wearing an indigo vest with white long sleeves and long brown boots. However, despite what Rogers said, he refused to believe what they were saying about Odette. No. She's _got_ to be alive.

"The whole kingdom's wrong. Odette's alive, and I'm gonna find her. You ready, Brom?"

Brom, or Bromley, has long dark brown hair with green eyes. He had a triangular nose with pale skin. He wears a dark brown medieval edge neck collar, light brown shirt with gray long sleeves, a brown belt a golden buckle on a brown belt, long dark brown pants and a pair of brown boots with dark gray folded cuffs over brown boots. He took off side of the blind fold but Rogers scolded him.

"No peeking!" Rogers scolded him. "Animals Assemble!"

The musicians at the far building came down the stairs and into the view.

"Lord Rogers, I must object. We are musicians!" the first speaker exclaimed as they came down the hill.

"The servants have the day off. We have to use someone," Rogers called back.

"But I'm an artist! Not a boar!"

"Could've fooled me," Rogers muttered.

"Come on, guys! They're harmless!" Derek responded as he took one of the covered arrow and flipped it around.

"Down on all fours, please, and growl ferociously! Liven it up a bit! I want you to strike fear into my heart," Rogers started.

One of the musicians who was dressed as a rabbit began to roar but that only made Rogers do a face palm.

"Not you, Wesley, you're a rabbit, for heaven's sake. Archers! Ready. Set. Go!"

Meanwhile, down at the woods, the group began to walk around. Unfortunately, they had no idea where they were.

"So…where do you suppose we are?" Goofy asked as they walked down the path.

"Why don't you ask the Great Captain Sora? He flew us out here," Donald muttered, annoyed.

Sora scowled. "It's not my fault! How am I supposed to know what world we would be going to?"

"Uh huh," Donald muttered.

The woods were quiet and had a bit of an eerie feeling. And they all had a feeling as though someone was watching them from a distance and that slightly unnerved them. A sudden _whoosh_ sound came which made Sora jumpy and he turned around, summoning his Keyblade.

"What was that?" Sora asked, eyeing the creepy woods.

"What was what?" Riku questioned.

"Ah, don't mind him. He's just tired from all the events that had been happening," Donald spoke.

"No, I'm serious you guys. I heard something…or at least I _thought_ I did," Sora faltered.

"Gawrsh, Sora. You don't sound so sure. Maybe if we keep walking, the sound of whatever you heard, might be louder."

"Um…yeah, okay. I guess."

The group resumed to walk but that was until, half way of their walk, the same noise came. Sora stopped and he focused to hear to the sound. This time, it was a bit clearer. It sounded as though something was flapping itself. But because of the flap, it made the breeze be stronger.

"What now?" Donald asked, a bit impatient.

Sora turned around to see what was causing the breeze only to widen his eyes. "Uh, guys? We got company."

The group turned around only to give out exclaim of shouts but they quickly summon their Keyblades. There, in front of them, was a large flying animal with deadly red eyes. It had huge black wings but the head looked similar to a wolf's head with talon that was shaped like Eagles and a tail that looked like a lizard.

"What in the world is that?" Goofy stuttered; his eyes glued to the humongous beast.

"I don't know but whatever it is, it doesn't look friendly," Riku spoke.

"Thundaga!" Sora shouted.

And unfortunately, that did little damage.

"And it looks stronger than it seems," Kairi pointed it out.

Sora glanced around at his surroundings but there was nothing that would help them out as there were only trees everywhere. However, Sora got an idea and he started to run forward.

"Sora!"

Sora ignored the cry and he jumped from tree to tree until he was up in the air, being eye to eye with the large creature. He raised his Keyblade upwards as he was ready to strike but the animal wasn't fazed by him and then, he used its wing to knock Sora out, striking him. And because of the hit, the Keyblade slipped out of his hand which left him vulnerable.

Sora yelled as he felt himself pummeling through the sky.

"Sora!" Riku shouted and ran after him. The group followed behind, forgetting about the creature that took off.

None of them stopped since they kept running until eventually, they were out of the woods and into what it looked like a huge castle. However, they were too busy to even glance at their new environment. They had to get to Sora as fast as they could. Seeing the flying figure that was coming down, Riku made a small growl and he shouted out a word since he may not be there on time.

"Guard!" Riku yelled, hoping that would slow Sora down and would make him a somewhat soft landing so that there wouldn't be any major injuries or worse.

* * *

"Time! Animals, assemble for counting. Aha! Very good, very good. You scored plenty of five pointers, that's for sure."

"Sorry, Hans. Why don't you take a few days off?" Derek replied as he crouched down to help out a passed out man.

"Moose are worth two points. Sixteen, it's a total of thirty-two. Ten seven pointers and fourteen three pointers, with a total of two hundred ninety-eight…"

Derek paused as he thought he heard something. It sound as though someone was screaming and it got louder by the minute the more it came close.

"Do you guys hear screaming?" Derek asked.

All of a sudden, a harsh thud came which made Derek be aware. He whirled around to see something that was a few meters away from him.

"Look!" Brom exclaimed.

"Well done, Derek! Now Bromley, let's see, for you, and zero, and zero, and uh nothing, and nil and zip. And last but not least the elusive 100-point brown-haired boy!" Roger exclaimed but then he shook his head with widened eyes. "Boy?"

He whirled around to see Derek and Brom running off only to follow them not too shortly.

"What's going on?" Rogers shouted. "We're supposed to be working!"

Derek came to a halt as he went down on his knees to see the knocked out boy.

"Hey? Hello! Are you okay? Hello?" Derek exclaimed, shaking the boy.

Sora, unknown to them, saw that his eyes was blurry. He gave a few flicker while trying to make out what the guy was saying. Giving up, Sora then felt his vision fading away before his whole body went limp.

"He might be injured!" Derek shouted, seeing that the boy would no longer respond. "We need to help him!"

"But we don't know who he is!" Rogers exclaimed.

"We can ask questions later," Derek replied. He was about to carry the boy until voices called out which made him stop.

"Sora!"

"This is what he gets for being too reckless!"

Upon seeing the new arrivals, Derek acted on instincts and withdrew his bow and arrow, aiming for the group. They halted, seeing the weapon and they all stared at the figures.

"Who are you?" Derek demanded, pulling the string even further. Riku readied himself in a fighting stance, gripping his Keyblade tighter.

"Who am I? Who are you?" Riku remarked back.

Derek narrowed his eyes, pulling the string further back than before but then he stopped, suddenly lowering his weapon.

"Wait. Sora?" Derek asked, confused and he stared at the passed out boy.

 **Author's Note:** Oh dear. Confusions indeed! And ta-da! We're entering Odette's world! I love that damn movie so freaking much! And no, Derek doesn't know who Sora is—he's just confused because he doesn't know who Riku and the others are. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	42. The Ultimate Threat

Chapter 39: The Ultimate Threat

"With the way he acts, I'm surprised he's not dead!"

"That was reckless of him. What was he thinking?"

"Do you think he'll wake up?"

"Positive. Sora just likes to be Sleeping Beauty."

"I just wish he would think before he acts. That honestly scared us."

"But the thing is…Sora doesn't have any brains. He has rocks," the voice cackled.

"Donald!"

"Um, excuse me. But who are you guys?"

"We're—"

"Shut up for a minute! I think he's waking up!"

Sora flickered his eyes open. His whole body was in pain and he felt like he couldn't move at all. It hurts! He felt like screaming but he knew that wouldn't do much at all. Only time will heal and for now, he must lie in bed until he feels better.

"Sora…? You alright?" Riku asked concerned.

Riku.

"I…I'm… fine," Sora croaked.

"Are you crazy? You scared us! Why would you do that when you had no chance in doing it alone? You're crazy!" Donald yelled.

"Ease up, Donald. Sora needs to rest without being stressed out and you're stressing him," Goofy pointed it out.

The newcomer chuckled. "He's right, whatever the name is…" Derek, unknown to them, replied unsurely.

"Oh, the name's Goofy. And that is Donald."

"The reckless one on the bed is Sora," Donald muttered angrily.

After everyone introduced themselves, Derek introduced himself to the group. They were quite a peculiar group but regardless, Derek answered the questions as to where they are and such just so that the group was filled in.

"So what brings you here?" Derek asked.

Everyone, except Sora, hesitated.

"We're—"Kairi began.

"We're travellers," Riku started. "And we're looking for a place to stay if that's okay with his Highness."

Derek laughed, waving his hand at the title. "Derek. Just call me Derek. And for sure. I'm sure we have more than enough rooms to spare for you guys."

Riku nodded. "Thank you."

Derek paused. "But if you don't mind: how did…Sora got the way he is?"

"Um, we were walking down the woods when Sora heard a big noise. For a minute, we thought nothing of it until, all of a sudden, there was a large terrifying beast with great big wings. The head, uh, it looked like it was in a shape of a wolf…" Goofy scratched his head as he tried to remember exactly how the animal looked like.

But just by mentioning of _great big wings_ and _a wolf's head_ , it instantly sparked recognition for Derek and he dangerously narrowed his eyes.

"That animal you guys faced?" Derek said darkly. "It's known as the Great Animal. You guys and your friend are lucky to be alive. I suggest that you stay away from it if it's possible. Regardless, I'll see to the castle to make sure that you're all welcomed and well fed. You guys must be exhausted from your travels."

With that, Derek left but that only left a chilling vibe in the air. Goofy scratched his head by the weird vibe Derek had left them.

"That was weird. It was as if he didn't want to talk about the animal."

Riku nodded. "Yeah and it looks like as though the Great Animal had been terrorizing the castle for quite some time now."

Kairi furrowed her eyebrow, having her train of thoughts. If he's the prince, where's the princess? Would she be in the castle?

"Do you know what's weird? We only met the prince and as far as I know, nearly every Kingdom has a princess and a prince. Sometimes, only a princess or a prince. So, where's the princess of this castle?" Kairi asked, voicing her own thoughts.

The question made everyone be stumped.

"You know, that's a good point. But I'm sure she's in the castle, doing her princess duties. Maybe she got so caught up to them and being so busy, she hasn't had the chance to come and meet us yet," Goofy answered.

For the time being, everyone seemed to settle with Goofy's answer. At least for now. When the talking has been slightly quiet down, Sora began to feel his body and he started to twitch his fingers before he was able to push himself and slowly pulled his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Woah, where are you going?" the demanding tone from Riku interrupted the silence.

Sora lifted his head and saw the group; his vision finally coming back to normal. "I'm fine, really."

He got up but a wave of dizziness struck him, forcing him to go back to the bed. Riku got concerned and went for his friend.

"I'm fine," Sora said hastily as he dismissed Riku.

"You don't look fine. You're all pale. Maybe you should stay in bed for one more day," Goofy said.

Sora rolled his eyes at the worry everyone displayed. Really, he was fine. He understood that everyone was concerned for him but he really was fine. Better than when he faced that animal.

The brown spiked boy then got up once more, despite everyone's worrying.

"Sora, sit down. You don't look well!" Kairi exclaimed.

Frustrated, Sora snapped back. "I said I'm fine!"

The group went quiet as Sora stalked out of the room.

* * *

He didn't know where he was going but all he wanted was to get away from everyone. Sora knew they were worried for his being but he really did feel fine even if sometimes, he felt weak.

He sighed. He really did love his friends and would be lost without them. For that much, he can be grateful to them and for everything they had put up with him.

Sora looked around before looking up at the sky. It was getting dark and he had no idea where he was. All he was surrounded was with a lake that was up ahead with a few trees.

"And with your love I'll never be alone…"

Sora stopped in his thoughts upon hearing a voice. It sounded as though someone was singing. But from where it was coming from? Sora searched his eyes as he strained his eyes to hear the same voice. For a minute, it was quiet until the sound got picked up again.

The lake!

Sora followed the musical note until he eventually reached the lake. Once he did, he slowed down to a halt in order to catch his breath before walked even further down until he was out of the woods and the lake fully was in the view. Sora turned around, trying to locate the source until he found it. There, to his right, a tall blonde lady who was dressed in a white dress with puffed sleeves was walking around. He blinked. Who was that? And why did she…looked so sad?

Curious, Sora resumed his running where he met up with the woman.

"Excuse me!"

The woman gasped when she heard another voice. She thought only her and her friends were alone here. She turned around to see a young boy who was dressed in weird clothes and perhaps, the bottom looked just a bit too big. The blonde narrowed her eyes but slightly softened. He doesn't look like a threat. Maybe he got lost?

"Um, who are you?" the woman asked him.

"I'm Sora. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I just heard a voice and well, I sorta followed it. It led me to you. Who are you?"

Seeing that the boy posed no danger, the woman made a small smile. "I'm Odette," she answered. Even though he was no threat, she decided to leave out the 'princess' title just in case.

"I didn't realize I sang loud. Sorry."

Sora shook his head. "Don't be. I think it's great!"

Odette laughed. "Thank you. So um…what brings you here?"

Sora shrugged. "I just needed some air to clear my thoughts but I guess I got too caught up in my head and I sorta just got lost. Do you know where we are?"

"Swan Lake," Odette answered sadly.

Sora hesitated. He caught the sadness in her tone but he wondered if he should ask. If he ask, maybe it was going to be personal and this lady wouldn't like to answer it.

"Um…if you don't mind, you sounded…sad. May I ask why?"

Odette shook her head. "No. Don't worry about it. You wouldn't understand."

"Now, now. Don't be like that. The young boy was merely curious," another voice said.

Odette gasped as she realized who it was. "Sora, hide!"

But Sora didn't listen and went in his fighting stance. Whoever was coming, he already felt the bad vibe that was already reflecting off. It certainly wasn't good.

"Come out! Show yourself!" Sora demanded. He tightened his fist, being ready to summon his Keyblade if needed.

An evil laugh came and there, in a puff of smoke, a strange man appeared from the cloud. He jeered at the sight of the two and gave a smirk. Sora studied the unwelcomed guest.

He was a slender man with red eye with fair skin and half bald head with an orange colored hair. There were two orange colored sideburns growing from each side of his face followed by thick orange eyebrows and a big, orange moustache. He wore a black cowl hooded cloak cape with a plum lining, a mustard edge neck collar with yellow pearls that was over a blue long kurta tunic shirt. He also had dark tan gauntlet gloves, a black belt with a golden buckle on a black belt that was around his waist, being worn on his blue long kurta tunic shirt. He wore dark gray pants and black boots with dark beige edge folded cuffs and mustard pearls that were over black boots. There was a golden crown that sat upon his head.

Sora lifted an eyebrow, studying the strange newcomer.

"Who are you?"

The man gasped dramatically. "Who am I? Who AM I? I am Rothbart!"

Odette narrowed her eyes dangerously. "What do you want, Rothbart?"

It seemed that these two already knew each other but the dislike between was intense.

Rothbart laughed. "The same thing I always want. All it takes is a one simple answer with a simple question. Will you marry me?"

Odette lifted her head. "Every night you ask the same question."

"No, NO!"

"And every night I give you the same answer."

"Don't!" Rothbart snarled.

"I'll die first."

Sora was surprised at the hard answer Odette was giving out. But this merely raised more questions. What was the history between them?

"You're really starting to bug me," Rothbart rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"I should think you'd be used to it by now," she smirked.

"That's it! Just keep pushing it. But someday I'm going to boil over!"

"Go ahead then! But I'll never give you my father's kingdom," Odette replied confidently.

"I was hoping you'd say you'd be mine. But it looks as if you need another day to think about it," the evil man laughed nastily.

Sora saw that the man was pointing to the moon that was rising down. But he was just totally lost. Why was the moon so important right now? Sora clenched his fist. Right now, he wanted to beat the crap out of his man.

"No…" Odette whispered as she walked towards the lake.

"Come back, you!" Sora shouted just as the man disappeared. "Odette, are you alright? What did that man want?"

However, it was already too late since Odette was already at the lake and then, there, Sora was stunned. The spot which Odette was in started to glow, a golden one before it wrapped around her elegantly, swirling around her with different splashes of color it displayed. It circled around until Sora couldn't see her anymore and then, the colors disappeared.

Sora widened his eyes as he saw the new form.

Instead of the woman he just met, he just saw that she was transformed into a beautiful white Swan.

* * *

Rothbart growled. The meddlesome princess was becoming more persistent each day and he hated it! What would it take for her to say yes?! Every time he ask, he was expecting a different answer but he was wrong!

"Damn that princess!" he shouted.

He then paused. But who was that boy? He certainly didn't saw him from anywhere. Rothbart rubbed his temples. This whole thing was giving him a headache. That princess gave him a headache.

"My, aren't we in a dilemma?"

Rothbart whirled around and he summoned his magic, having his hands glow from them.

"Who's there? You do not want to mess with me," he warned.

The newcomer cackled. "Oh yes. The might Rothbart. But are you sure you're so mighty?"

The intruder materialized from thin air and this made Rothbart narrow his eyes dangerously, preparing to fight if needed.

"Who are you?"

"Me? Oh dear me. Where are my manners? I'm Cruella Deville. And you would do well to remember it."

"Why are you here? What's your purpose?"

"My, curious aren't we? I love it," Cruella smiled maliciously. She then propped herself on a table, leaning closely to Rothbart who sneered, clearly not liking her. "You see, dearie. We both have troubles. You want the princess. I want the page. And in this case, I think we can strike a deal."

"Page? What page?"

"You see, it's a part of a very powerful book where if you complete the book, it shall grant you the power you need and yadadadadada…" Cruella rolled her eyes. "But enough talk about that. Here's the thing: I help you with your little Swan Song and you can help me find the page. How about it, o Mighty Dark One?"

"Hmm…a new power, you say?"

"You got it, sweetcakes. And I promise you: if you help me find the page, you shall have even more power which I can grant it to you."

Rothbart paused. It seemed too easy…he then thought of the boy.

"What of the boy? Would he be of in any problem?"

Cruella raised an eyebrow. "Boy?"

Rothbart sighed. "Short. Annoying. Brown spiked hair."

Cruella sneered. "Oh _him_. He's nuisance and shouldn't be underestimated. If anything, we've got to be on guard. Him and his friends. Always interferes with my stuff. Also, be wary of the blade he carries for it possess powerful magic. Now then, since we got a deal, I think we both should get a head start. Don't you think?"

Cruella cackled as she left Rothbart who smiled evilly.

 **Author's Note:** Dadaaaaa! I always loved the part when Odette transforms into a swan! It sounds so magical! And there should be more retelling of Swan Lake/Swan Princess but I can't seem to find any :/ what happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	43. Planning an Escape

Chapter 40: Planning an Escape

"Beautiful, simply beautiful. Soon Derek will be married and the kingdom will have a king again," Uberta exclaimed, excitedly as she looking at a jewel of a crown she was holding her hands.

Rogers rolled his eyes. "I doubt it. Derek still refuses to be king unless he finds Odette."

"Oh poppycock!" Uberta scoffed. "All that will change at tomorrow night's ball!"

"They're all coming to the ball!" a voice laughed. "Every princess is coming!"

A short man came running into the room where Uberta and Rogers were. He wore a blue ruffle collar around his neck with a purple and yellow attire followed by a medal that he wore over his neck. There was a large hat with a feather in it on his head. Just shortly, two servants came in who carried two bags of mail and they poured it out of the bag, dropping it on the short man before they exited out.

Uberta squealed from happiness as she plucked the mail, one by one. "Oh goody, oh my. Oh, this is wonderful! You see, Rogers. One of these is bound to change his mind."

"Oh absolutely… not," Rogers said.

"Do not lose one," Uberta said hastily.

"Oh, no, no, no no," Chamberlain shook his head.

"Where is Derek? Oh never mind I know where he is, working on the mystery of the Fat Animal."

"The Great Animal, Your Highness," Rogers corrected her.

Uberta scoffed. "Well, Big, Great. It's large and has fur."

* * *

"So…Sora's gone. We have no idea where Derek went and…we're bored," Donald replied, grumpily.

"I dunno about you guys but these treats are scrumptious," Riku replied with food stuffed in his mouth.

"You're disgusting," Kairi said, disgusted.

"Well, since we're here, why don't we search for the Lost Page? If we could get our hands on the second page, we would have one more upper advantage," Goofy said.

"I would want Sora to be with us for the page," Kairi pointed it out.

Donald scoffed. "Bah, we don't know where Sora is. If we're waiting for him, we might as well start looking for the page. We're just wasting time just by waiting for Sora."

Riku stuffed one more treat in his mouth, chewing as he spoke. "Okay but, how are we to look for the page? I mean, yeah we could check out the library since we had a small tour but the last time we searched in a library, it was fruitless."

Goofy scratched his head. "Well, I guess that's true. But maybe, checking the library again wouldn't hurt. After all, we are in a different world and maybe, we would find Derek in there. Besides, the look on his face when we told him about the animal was fierce. So, I bet he's in the library too."

* * *

" _Listen to me, Derek. It's not what it seems."_

"What did King William mean?" Derek muttered

Beside him, there were stacks of books scattered throughout the hall as he was desperately trying to figure out what King William had said to him before he passed away but to no avail.

Book upon book, Derek fruitlessly searched for nearly every book he grabbed hold upon. He then grabbed a ladder which had him swing to the other side and he grabbed a green book, flipping through the pages with a concentrated look. It wasn't until then where he stumbled upon a page and from there, he widened his eyes in realization.

"It's not what it seems, of course! It's not what it seems! Now I'll find you, Odette," Derek promised.

He excitedly slid off the ladder and down on another ladder, running towards the door and opened. As he opened the door, Uberta and Chamberlain came in though Uberta seemed way too enthusiastic about something.

"They're coming, Derek. Oh!" she squealed but then paused when she saw Derek carrying a book in his hands. "Oh, where are you going?"

"To find the Great Animal."

"Oh, wonderful. But be here for tomorrow night."

Derek paused in his tracks. "Tomorrow night?" he asked, confused.

"Uh. The ball."

"Mother, I… I can't. Oh please, mother. Don't do the lip thing," Derek pleaded, helplessly as he watched his mom quivering her lip. "If I leave now, maybe I can be back in time."

She then let out an excited squeal as she laughed. "OH! Thank you, darling!"

"But please, mother, don't turn it into one of your beauty pageants."

"Oh, no no no no no. It's just a few friends… And their daughters. I want this to be big. Every princess must have her own introduction," she rambled.

Chamberlain sputtered. "But you said—"

"Forget what I said. Now, send for the cooks and tell the band to start rehearsing! And I want four footmen for every carriage," she giggled. "Maybe five!"

Derek shook his head as he heard his mother's squeals and as he turned around the corner, he heard voices.

"See? I say the library and he was in the library! I was right, hyuck!"

Derek grinned. "Hey guys. Doing anything exciting lately?"

"No," Donald answered grumpily.

"We thought we could hit the library and do on some research on how to 'stop losing Sora' because we could never seem to find Sora," Riku stated as he shook his head. "That kid…I swear…"

Derek laughed. "Well, good luck!"

He was about to go until he stopped. "Oh by the way, this upcoming week, we have a ball and you're all welcome to attend to it if you like."

* * *

"Let me get this straight. You mean every night when the moonlight leaves the lake you transform into a Swan?" Sora said, trying to connect the dots. This was all too confusing.

"Right. The following night, if I want to turn back into a human, I have to be on the lake," Odette nodded.

"Hmph. All she needs is a little moonlight. Me, I 'ave to be smooched," Jean-Bob replied.

"No fear. You fly to your prince, we bring him back to the lake. The moon comes up, you change into a princess and, happily ever after," Puffin laughed as he made a trumpet noise.

"How do we find him?" Odette asked, sadly.

Puffin dropped Jean-Bob from shock. "You don't even know where he is?"

Odette shook her head.

"I bet he does," Speed said as he pointed to the castle up ahead but his tone held with disdain.

Jean-Bob scoffed at the ridiculous idea. "Oh that's a great idea. Just say, 'Monsieur Rothbart, I'd like to leave now, do you have a map or something?'"

Sora racked in his brains for an answer. Hasn't he saw the prince somewhere? He widened his eyes. Oh, that's right!

"Er, if we're looking for the same prince, which I assume we are, his name is Derek right?" Sora asked.

Odette nodded.

"Well, that's easy! Derek's in the castle!"

Odette gasped. "The castle! Oh, that's even more wonderful! But now all we need is a…"

"Map!" Puffin and Odette exclaimed which made Jean-Bob shriek.

"We?" Jean-Bob exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"You mean, you're not going to help us?" Puffin asked.

"Even I have to agree with Jean-Bob, going to an all-powerful wizard's lair, it could be tricky," Sora said.

"But Sora, that's why we also have you. Do you have magic?" Odette asked.

Sora stared at her before he backed away and then he raised his arm so that it was in front of him and with a breath, something started to be materialize in his hand. Jean-Bob squeaked as Puffin stared at the strangely shaped weapon.

"What is _that thing_?" Puffin asked, staring at the weapon suspiciously.

"This? This is a Keyblade. It's what I use to fight in battles and well…have magic spells," Sora explained.

 _But it didn't chose me_ , Sora thought but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Okay so. What's the plan? How are we going to get the map from um…er…?" Sora scratched his head. "What was his name again?"

"Rothbart," Speed replied. "Since you can't fly, Sora, why not have Puffin and Odette fly around the castle just to scout around the area and to check out the area as to where the map could possibly be located?"

Sora wanted to object with the _"I can't fly"_ but he decided against it. He supposed being in a low profile would be a good idea. He didn't know if this world contains 'flying humans'.

"Um…yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Sora nodded.

Jean-Bob widened his eyes. "Wait! We're actually doing this?" when no one answered since Odette and Puffin already flew away, he muttered. "We're all gonna die."

The rest that were on the ground waited for the two to return which made Sora be lost in thoughts. He was in a world where there were powers that were capable to transform a human to a _swan_. Isn't that familiar? He racked his brains until he remembered about Merida. Her mom was also transformed by a spell too. To a bear.

In all honesty, in some ways, these two worlds aren't so different after all.

"It's hanging on the wall. In the upper chamber!" Odette shouted as they came back, snapping Sora back to reality.

He really has to stop being so lost.

"Odette can keep a look-out while we get the map," Puffin said.

"That's great!" Sora said.

"We?" Jean-Bob sputtered.

"You're not going to help us?" Puffin asked.

"Oui! What if this plan fails? This will be suicidal and all of you would be a sitting duck!"

Sora grinned. Jean-Bob really does remind him of Donald. He would also freak out whenever a plan is bad.

"Come on. I promise it won't be that hard. We'll be in and out of there quicker than you can say Rothbart."

"Rothbart," Jean-Bob said bluntly, still not amused.

"Aw, come on. I didn't mean to say it _now_."

Puffin chuckled. "No fear!" he exclaimed as he and Speed dragged Jean-Bob who kept yelling.

"Don't, stop it! Stop it! Don't! I value my life!"

The group then met at the front of the evil villain's castle. Sure, they had the nerves because so many things can happen but now is not the time to make a 'what-if' list. Sora looked at the others who nodded before he pushed the door open though he was surprised to see that it was swinging open for them. Well, that was easy.

He narrowed his eyes.

Too easy.

As they all filed in, Sora noticed that the main entrance was deserted. No sign of life. Where was Rothbart? Was he expecting them? Was that why no one was here?

"All right, quickly!" Puffin whispered.

"Easy for you to say. Ouch!" Speed muttered as he got stuck by the door in between. Sora pulled the door open wide enough so that the turtle can walk from it.

"Whenever I have to do something quick, I always bring a turtle," Jean-Bob said annoyed.

"Alright guys," Sora whispered. "Where should we go?"

Puffin shook his head. "I have no idea. But it's in the upper floor so maybe…um…the right?"

Sora shrugged. "Worth a try."

Much to their luck, after scouting around the levels endlessly, they eventually got to the right floor but as they climbed yet another case of stairs, Speed spoke.

"I think I pulled a muscle," he said as he shook his leg.

"I'm gonna die! I knew it! I'm on a dangerous mission with a lame turtle! You're gonna get us all killed!" Jean-Bob exclaimed as he waved his hands dramatically. Upon doing so, he accidentally knocked at a knight that was standing nearby and the armor suddenly started to fall, one by one which made a loud clattering noise.

Puffin and Sora instantly ran towards it to stop it from falling completely even though some parts of it already tumbled to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Sora said, trying to keep the Knight balanced.

"Beat ya," Speed grinned as he saw Puffin, Jean-Bob and Sora who caught up to him.

"Hey, it's Odette," Sora said as he opened the window for her to let in.

"And there's the map!" Jean-Bob exclaimed as Puffin made a fly towards the map where he took it off the wall with his beak. The map rolled down the table which captured Jean-Bob in the process and he gave out a yelp. Before he could fall, Puffin was quick to save him and then like a trumpet, he blew into the hole of the paper where Jean-Bob was spat out but he got knocked into a book as he flew across.

"Jean-Bob!" Sora exclaimed and he ran towards the fallen frog. But as he did though, Puffin suddenly let out a scream followed by a _bang_ as though something got closed.

"Yikes," Speed said as he saw the newcomer with an evil grin.

Sora freed Jean-Bob from the book only to see the chaos. "Oh no! Who are you?"

"No time! Head for the door!" Puffin shouted as he flew away from the person.

Unfortunately, the lady trapped the door which made them pause in their tracks. And the group huddled towards each other, making a plan.

"All right. Jean-Bob goes deep, Speed gets the hand-off. Sora, you distract her. Ready?" Puffin asked.

"Hey, you! Bet you can't catch me!" Sora shouted, making a funny face which irritated the person.

She then ran after Sora who avoided her hands. They were so close in getting out of here. The sooner, the better. Sora grinned as he jumped on the table which made the hag hit her head, making her fall.

"I'm open, I'm open!" Jean-Bob shouted as Speed threw the map. Jean-Bob caught it which made Sora shout from victory but then he started to lose his balance when he saw that the table was shaking from the woman.

"Hey, cut that out!" Sora exclaimed before he made a somersault over the woman who got confused at first.

"Wind!" Sora shouted and the blast of power knocked the hag away but not for long though. It seemed that the attack didn't do much since she was already up on her feet with a mad gleam in her eyes.

"So much for your oh mighty powers," Jean-Bob smirked.

"I just got my Keyblade," Sora muttered irritated.

The group resumed their running but the frog didn't watched where he was going since the map covered his view and he saw sent falling over the rail, falling endlessly to the pit.

"Jean-Bob!" Sora shouted but he got captured by the hag who tackled him to the floor. He was fighting with her who stole the mysterious weapon from his hands. She stared at the blade in fascination but it dissolved into thin air which made her be surprise.

Meanwhile, Speed was quick on his feet by using a nearby rope where he grabbed Jean-Bob by the map and the two was sent back to the solid ground.

"Saved ya," Speed smirked.

"Yeah, that's right. You don't get no special blade!" Sora smirked before he used his strength to push her off and she was sent rolling away. "Let's go!"

But after a small mishap, Puffin, Speed and Jean-Bob were all sent sliding down the floor as Sora ran after them.

"That's cheating!" he called out before he slid down the rail from the staircase where he easily caught up with them. The hag was close on their trail too but she misaim her target and crashed to the upper wall as the group flew out of the window.

 **Author's Note:** Alright, I'm gonna end the chaos here! Haha. So, they got the map and now they are ready to go back to the castle. Sora did got lost after he went away from his friends so he wouldn't really know the path which was why they still needed the map. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	44. The Hunt

Chapter 41: The Hunt

Derek walked towards Brom who was sitting on a tree stump, eating an apple. Since he now has a lead and he partially knows what he is up against, he could most likely fight against this Great Animal. And save Odette. Wherever she is.

A paper fell down in front of Brom who looked down. He raised an eyebrow, staring at it.

"It's a mouse?" he said, blankly while wondering why Derek had showed it to him.

"The Great Animal," Derek corrected him.

Brom chuckled. "A tad small, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah? Until it changes into this," Derek responded as he put another piece of paper onto the first one where it shows a great big dragon. "An animal that can change its shape. A harmless creature approaches… Then suddenly, it's too late."

Brom widened his eyes, staring at Derek with a faltering look. "You mean… You mean it could be anything?"

A mischievous glint sparkled in Derek's eyes as he climbed onto a nearby horse. "Anything."

Brom gulped as he suddenly heard a buzzing sound. He noticed that it was a small fly that was flying around where it landed in front of his face. Startled, Brom yelped as he was trying to shoo away the fly. That new piece of information of what Derek just told him?

Wasn't really helpful.

* * *

Sora kicked a small rock from the ground as he was following around the bank of the lake while the others were riding on the lake. So much crazy has happened in just a few days where it was hard for Sora just to process everything that has happened. All he can grasp was that Odette can turn into a swan from a madman who casted a spell on her.

And he thought transforming into a bear was weird.

Every night with an every moon to go with.

"How about you, Jean-Bob? Jean-Bob? Highness? Sora?"

An awkward pause.

"SORA!"

Sora snapped himself out of his thoughts and back to reality as he realized that his name was being called out. He turned his head to the side where he saw Puffin who crossed his arms over his chest with an annoyed look.

"Um, yes?" Sora asked sheepishly.

"Are you ready for the assignments?" Puffin asked, annoyed.

"Oh…Oh! Oh yeah," Sora confirmed.

"Great. We will see you soon guys," Odette said.

Sora paused in thought before he spoke. "Um, shouldn't I come with you guys?"

The four stared at him as though he had grown another head.

"Um…well, I don't know how to say this but you can't fly," Jean-Bob pointed it out.

Sora chuckled nervously. He might as well tell them. Since they are flying towards Derek's castle then that probably means they might have to go through the forest. Of course, Sora doesn't know the forest at all but since he knows how to fight, it would be better for Sora to come with them so that he can protect the two.

"Actually…I can," Sora admitted which made their eyes go wide from shock but Jean-Bob was more cynical than amazed. The frog crossed his arms with a disbelieved look.

"Oh yeah? That will be the day when frogs can fly," he muttered.

Sora smirked. He knew there would be people who wouldn't believe him and in all honesty, he doesn't mind. It does seem just a bit far-fetched for a _human_ to fly.

Sora took a step back and then pointed his Keyblade that appeared in his hands.

"Glide!" he shouted and then, the spell swirled around him and within a few seconds, he was up in the air which made Jean-Bob drop his mouth from shock.

Sora laughed as he flew around until he felt the limit going down and he eventually went back to the ground.

"Woah! That was amazing, Sora!" Odette cried out.

"A human that can fly. What next? A tree?" Jean-Bob muttered while he pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Nope! I'm not dreaming!"

Puffin closed his mouth, sputtering from astonishment while Speed looked at Sora with an impressed look.

"Why didn't you tell us that from before?" Puffin demanded.

Sora stuffed his hands in his pocket, giving out a small shrug. "Well, think about it. A human that can _fly_? Doesn't that seem far-fetched? And ridiculous? And you guys don't seem to have a ship, anyway."

"A ship? What's a ship?" Jean-Bob asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Never mind. However, the only problem with the Glide is that it has limitations. Sure, I can't fly for very long and the only direction I can go is straight but I can be of help with Puffin and Odette. I can fight. I know spells."

Jean-Bob gave him a skeptical look. "If you can go only straight, what kind of flight is that? It seems pretty useless to me…" he muttered.

"Honestly? It actually helped me out a lot," Sora said.

"I think we should let Sora go," Speed commented. "As he said, he has magic spells that could be proven useful for whatever reason and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Aww, I didn't know you cared about us," Puffin grinned.

Speed rolled his eyes. "I only care about Odette."

Puffin scowled.

Jean-Bob clasped webbed hands together, taking a breath before he spoke. "Alright. Fine. Fine! If Sora can be proven to be useful, then away he goes! But if something happens to Odette, I'll have you whipped, flogged, put on the rack and then have your back legs fried in butter!"

Sora rolled his eyes but Odette and Puffin had already taken off as Speed wished them a farewell.

"Good luck! Have a nice flight!" Speed exclaimed.

* * *

In the depths of the forest, Brom and Derek roamed around the woods as the two were being on guard even though Brom was more shaking in fear than Derek who was determined to find this beast and to stop him once and for all.

"He's in here, Brom. I can feel it," Derek proclaimed.

"How will you know the Great Animal when you see it?" Brom asked nervously as he feverishly looked around the forest, wildly. He did not like this one bit.

"I'll know. Better stay close," Derek warned.

Brom laughed nervously. "If you say so."

The two then started to roam around the forest with a bow and arrow in hands while also being on guard. For quite some time, everything was silent. Except for the small sounds that the forest would make from the birds.

However, Brom didn't paid attention to where Derek had went since he was gazing at a spot that had light shining on it. When he suddenly realized that he had gotten separated from Derek, he called out.

"Derek? Derek, where are you?"

"Shh, shh!" Derek hissed.

Any sound that was made, it would either scare the big animal or would give the spot of their locations. And, all Derek wanted was to have an element of surprise if he could give one.

"Oh, sorry," Brom said sheepishly.

The two continued their walk with them being on guards, weapons in hands and ready to fire the arrows if necessary. Halfway through the forest, Brom got slowed down since a fly got in his way and with shaking hands in fear, Brom got out his arrow but his aim wasn't true since he was shaking fearfully.

"Derek?" Brom whimpered as he frantically waved his hands around. "Derek!"

And then, he fired the arrow but it missed the insect and the arrow went flying through the sky.

Meanwhile, up above, Odette and Puffin were flying above the trees but Sora was in the middle of the forest since he couldn't really fly very high. Of course, sometimes he would use trees for high jumps but even that was exhausting. Occasionally, he would have to take small breaks but told the two to go up ahead and he will catch up to them.

As Sora continued to fly, he didn't realize that he was about to go and get a strike from an arrow. Luckily, he didn't and the arrow just flew inches away from him which made halt in his tracks.

"Woah!" Sora exclaimed, watching the arrow fly right by him. He widened his eyes and quickly called out, hoping to alert them on time. "You guys! Watch out for an arrow!"

Sora must've got them in time since he heard Puffin's scream and he assumed that the arrow had also nearly caught him.

"Ack! Where was that from?" Puffin shouted from above as he frantically searched down

"Derek! He's here!" Odette exclaimed.

Unknown to Sora, he almost lost his balance since he suddenly saw something white flying past by him in a blur.

"What the!" Sora exclaimed as he felt something sharp nearly cutting the bridge of his nose.

"Odette!" Puffin shouted after her, flying towards her. It took a few seconds for Sora to process until he saw that Odette got ahead of herself and he too went flying after Odette.

Sora was surprised to see how fast Odette can fly and he was barely trying to catch after her even with high jumps to cover long distances. But no matter how many times Puffin and Sora called out to her, Odette couldn't hear them. She was too far away from them and that made them worry.

What if Derek accidentally shot Odette?

From that worried thought, it pushed Sora to fly faster and he took a short cut, landing on the ground and decide that running through the forest would probably be a bit faster than gliding.

In the forest, to where Derek was, he was growing more anxious by the minute. Where was the Great Animal? Shouldn't he appear? Derek narrowed his eyes as he looked left and right, not wanting to miss anything. However, something bright blinded him and he squinted his eyes so that he could adjust his eyes to the light.

When his vision got cleared, he widened his eyes from realization as the shape came closer to him.

"A swan?" he muttered to himself, puzzled. "A swan…" he repeated until he connected the dots. "Of course! It's not what it seems!"

He then started to prepare his arrow, pulling the string back. "Come on. Just a little closer. Come on…come on. This one is for Odette!"

And then, Derek emerged from his hiding spot and fired the shot. Sora widened his eyes as Puffin exclaimed in fear.

"NO!" Sora shouted.

Luckily, Puffin got there in time and shoved Odette out of the way.

"Stop, Derek!" Sora yelled as he emerged into the view. "Stop! Don't shoot!"

"Get out of the way, Sora!" Derek snarled as he shoved the boy down to the ground, making him fall.

"That's not who you think it is," Sora said but it was too late.

Blinded, Derek continued his hunting, not even knowing why Sora was here. He had one goal and that was to kill the beast.

 **Author's Note:** Aw, snap. Lucky for Puffin that he got there in time otherwise, it could've been bad for Odette! But Derek needs to snap out of his state and realize that isn't the Great Animal! And I'm assuming, the world for Odette isn't very ahead of technologies and machines and stuff so I'm assuming, they wouldn't have a ship at that time. Correct me if I'm wrong, though. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	45. Preparations

Chapter 42: Preparations

Riku raised an eyebrow as he stared at the suit that was in front of him.

"You want me to do what now?" Riku asked.

"To try on the suit, dear. Honestly, how many times do I have to repeat myself?" Uberta chastised him.

"Yeah, not going to happen. Sorry," Riku shrugged.

"But—but, you must! Derek's not here yet! And I don't know if he will make it to the ball on time and…and…"

Riku groaned. The bait is about to be reeled in. He sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck as Uberta whimpered. He wondered if she often does this to Derek…

"Alright, alright. I'll try on the suit," he muttered.

"Oh wonderful!" Uberta squealed.

Riku grunted. He reluctantly took the suit but then stopped. He saw Kairi, Goofy and Donald helping out with the decorations or rather it seems that the decorations had _them_ tied up. Especially Donald who was furiously yelling as Kairi and Goofy tried to free him.

Regardless, the whole room looks spectacular if Riku said so himself. There were satin white ribbons that were tied around the rails of the stairs and they also had ribbons attached to the strings.

The room was filled with white tables being covered in white tablecloths.

Sighing, Riku went to one of the nearby rooms to change into the suit. He frowned. He still hasn't seen Sora… _in a while_. It honestly worries him but he hoped, wherever, Sora is, that he would be alright and wouldn't have himself in deep trouble.

After changing Riku went back to the ballroom and met up with Uberta once again.

"Well?"

Uberta gasped. "Oh, it's wonderful!" she giggled. "Although, you may be a bit shorter than Derek but who knows? It looks stunning! But that blue hair though…" she scowled.

Riku raised his hands in front of him. "Don't even think about it. The blue hair _stays_."

* * *

Sora angrily kicked the rock and it landed with a small _splash_ into the lake.

"Oh, you mustn't be angry with yourself. I'm sure Derek has his purposes," Odette said.

"But you almost got killed by accident. And we don't know _why_ Derek had that mad gleam in his eyes. What was he thinking?" Sora muttered.

Puffin made a thinking look. "Perhaps he thought Odette was someone else? I mean, he must not realize that Odette is the Swan. Maybe he even didn't know."

Jean-Bob nodded. "Could be…actually, that would make more sense."

Sora then looked at the ground before he looked up. The moon…It seemed as though Puffin got the same idea.

Puffin gasped from an idea he had. "Look! The moon! What if you transform yourself right in front of Derek? Then he's bound to believe that the Swan he keeps seeing is _you_ , Odette."

Odette shook her head. "I can't do that. He'll kill him."

"But what have you got to lose?" Sora asked. "If it's worth convincing him that you're not what it seems, he'll believe you. He won't hunt you down anymore. Besides, we'll be right here, ready to save you if something happens."

Odette sighed. "Alright. I'll do it."

With a determined look, Odette gracefully flew down towards the lake. The clouds started to move away as it slowly revealed the moon.

"Come on…" Puffin urged the clouds to clear out more.

However, Odette gasped while Derek started to release another arrow.

"Got you!" Derek muttered, aiming for the swan but before he got fire, Puffin swooped down and knocked Derek to the side which messed up his aim.

Irritated, Derek started to aim at Puffin but a sudden golden light made him pause and he turned around to face the lake. The light belonged to the swan and he stared with a bewildered look as he saw the whole thing happening.

Slowly but surely, the water disappeared and there, in its place, Odette appeared in human form. Blinking, Derek slowly lowered his weapon as he stared with a disbelief look but the _truth was right there_. He had just _saw it_ with his own eyes.

"Hello, Derek," Odette said softly.

Stunned and shocked, Derek dropped his weapon and ran towards her. He missed her so much. He wrapped his hands around hers in a tightened grip, never letting it go. He then swung her around in joy before the two shared a kiss.

"Oh Derek, I've missed you so," Odette said.

"No one believed me but I knew."

As much as she wished that she could see him, Odette urged him to go. She didn't want anything bad happening to him especially since Rothbart is still out here.

"You can't stay here," she shook her head.

"Can't stay?" Derek said, disappointed. All his research…just went to waste. What was the point in them if he can't even stay with Odette? And now, Odette is ushering him to go away. Why?

"No, I'll never let you out of my sight again," he insisted as he pulled her into a hug, never letting her go. But Odette reluctantly pushed him away.

"Listen to me, Derek."

"Odette!" a new voice called.

"Oh no!"

"Who is it? What's going on?" Derek asked, desperately. If someone is hurting Odette, he wanted to be here with her. To protect her. Yes, he accidentally shot Odette but only because he thought she was the Great Animal but he was lucky and relieved that he got to saw the true form of the Swan.

"It's him!"

"Who?"

"He has me under a spell," Odette briefly explained.

"Odette!" the voice firmly called again.

"Let him come. I'll—"

"No! He has great power. You must go," she pleaded. If anything happened to Derek, she would never forgive herself.

Away from Odette, Sora furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. To him, it seems Odette was _pushing_ Derek away from her. But why? He thought Odette would've enjoy seeing Derek after being away from him for so long. Why the sudden change?

"I don't get it. It's like Odette doesn't _want_ Derek anymore," Sora voiced his own thoughts. "What's going on?"

Puffin, Jean-Bob and Speed all looked down as each of them went into a thinking mode as they wondered the same. Eventually, they all saw Derek going away and within a second, Rothbart came into the view just as Derek disappeared.

"Rothbart!" Sora said as he was on his guard. "What's he doing here? Why does he always come in the wrong moment?"

Sora then looked down and saw that Rothbart showed Odette that he was carrying Derek's bow.

"Hey, that's Derek bow!" Sora cried out. "I'm not letting Rothbart hurt Odette!"

Puffin flew in front of Sora who stopped in his tracks. "Look. I know we have this manic on the loose and who wants Odette's hand more than anything! But right now, you _can't_ interfere. Rothbart is a nasty man with powerful magic. If I'm being completely honest, you're probably outmatched by him even with your own magic."

"But—"

"I know but just don't interfere—Sora!" Puffin groaned as he already saw the boy running towards Rothbart who just started to disappear.

"Tomorrow night there is no moon," Rothbart cackled evilly.

"Hey, Rothbart! Why don't you leave Odette alone?!" Sora shouted angrily.

The evil wizard stopped, making an annoyed look on his face. "You. You meddlesome fool. I won't let you ruin my plan. So, this spell should put you to sleep!"

He then summoned his magic and he shot the beam towards Sora. Sora gasped but he quickly made his Keyblade appear where he blocked the magic beam just in time but it made him slid away from the powerful blast.

"You're going have to do better than that, Rothbart," Sora proclaimed.

The magic wielder scoffed. "Whatever. I don't have time for _you_. Stand in my way again and I won't hesitate to kill you."

And then, the wicked man began to disappear in a puff of smoke but Sora—who is not letting go of the situation—started to run towards him where he just managed to grab a part of Rothbart's cloak. And then, the two of them vanished.

"Sora!" the group shouted, horrified.

* * *

Sora grunted as he appeared from thin air.

"Get off me, you meddlesome fool!" Rothbart snarled.

With a swift of his magic, he knocked Sora away from him where he crashed into a wall. Sora winced but that didn't let him stop him though it only made the man narrow his eyes when he saw the boy getting up.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Rothbart asked.

"Obviously."

The man smirked. "Very well then. If it's death you seek, then so shall be it!" he paused. "Or better it. I'll make you become my puppet. You will watch everything that is being unfold. You will be locked. Powerless to do anything as you sit there, watching helplessly."

"Oh yeah? How are you going to do that? I'm not chained or anything."

Perhaps Sora should've kept his mouth since the next thing he knew was that the two of them disappeared once more but this time, they appeared in a different room.

"Where are we now? What the—"Sora started to move only to see that he couldn't. He looked back and saw that both of his hands were chained, preventing him to escape.

Sora gave a small _humph_ sound. _If anything, I could escape with my Keyblade._

"Oh do and try to escape. These chains aren't ordinary. Use magic and _zap_ , they'll make you suffer," Rothbart sneered. "Ah, there you are my dear."

The hag, from what Sora had saw earlier when they were stealing the map, came down the room.

"I've got a problem," Rothbart muttered angrily. "Derek's vow could ruin everything. Everything! I'm gonna have to deal with him… But how?" he frowned but then suddenly got an idea.

"The vow! I'll get Derek to offer his vow to the wrong princess!" he cackled. "That's it! [Laughs.] I'll make you look like Odette. Well, that's gonna take a lot of work, but it'll be worth it. 'Cause when he makes his vow to the wrong girl, Odette will die, and I'll finish Derek off myself. Oh, I love it! I mean, this is really classy… This is me!"

"You won't stop Odette. You won't stop them!" Sora spoke.

Rothbart growled as he menacingly walked towards him; his hand crackling with magic.

"Listen here, you wit. This is the last time you'll get to breath. I will tighten your lungs, forcing you to gasp for air on your punctured lungs while you are stuck here, hopelessly since you can't do anything," he growled as he threateningly moved his powered hand closer to Sora who didn't flinched.

"Go ahead. Do your worst. Torture me. Kill me. But you can never stand in the way of true love! Derek and Odette will find each other even through your broken spell," Sora growled. "You can't mess with true love."

Enraged, Rothbart was about to release his magic but then a voice called out.

"Now, I think that's quite enough," a voice said and that made the man cancel his power.

Irritated, he looked towards the shadow, trying to locate the source of the voice. "Come on out! I don't have time for your games," he spat.

"Oh Rothbart. Impatience as always," a slithering voice replied. Slowly but surely, the figure emerged out of the shadows which made Sora widened his eyes.

"Cruella?"

Cruella sneered as she saw the state of which Sora was in.

"Surprised to see me, darling?"

"No," Sora glared.

Cruella rolled her eyes. "Tough luck," she then flickered her eyes towards Rothbart. "Listen here, hun. You go do your childish games while I do more of my serious business. Run away and you leave this boy with _me_."

 **Author's Note:** Oh damn. Sora's in deep trouble. But poor Riku. He has to suffer with Uberta xD but what does Cruella want with Sora now? Will they stop Rothbart's plan? What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	46. For Odette

Chapter 43: For Odette

"Ah!" Puffin suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" Speed asked.

"It's coming!" Puffin answered as he excitedly gave out an exclaim.

"What is it?" Jean-Bob questioned.

"An idea! A substantial idea! A large, colossal idea!"

"Sounds big," Speed muttered.

"I got it! Ha! Water leaks into the dungeon, right? Well, if there's a leak, there must be a hole. We'll find the hole, make it bigger and, boom! She's loose," Puffin responded while he imitated the sound of an explosion.

Jean-Bob rolled his eyes. "I think you're forgetting two things. Chomp chomp!" he waved his hands around to indicate the crocodiles.

As if on cue, two crocodiles emerged its heads out of the water.

Speed nodded. "His Majesty's got a point."

Puffin dismissed it with a wave of his hand as though that wasn't the bigger problem. "Not to worry. Now, first we need a scout."

"Are you crazy? Who's going to jump into this moat?" Jean-Bob exclaimed.

"He's got to be a good swimmer," Puffin continued, ignoring the frog.

"I should say so," the frog proclaimed.

"And he's got to be small too," Speed smirked, knowing where this was going.

"Teeny weeny, not to be seen," Jean-Bob nodded.

"And it wouldn't hurt if he was green, for camouflage purposes," Puffin grinned mischievously.

"Precisely. Small, good swimmer, green…" the frog trailed off. "Good grief! You're talking about me!"

"Naturally."

Jean-Bob gasped. "Absolutely not! I can't hear you! I can't hear you!"

* * *

The ballroom was filled with chattering people from all over that came to the celebration. Decorated in lavish gowns filled the room, having splashes of colors spread throughout the room.

The noise were loud as well as the orchestra played with gentle music.

However, Uberta stood in front of the two stair cases were the large crowd was gathered and the music subdued as Uberta spoke.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, I know that some of you just abhor beauty pageants, but being a puff puff girl myself way back in 39, ah, I just could resist. And girls? A one, a two, a one two three!"

And soon, curtain upon curtain were being pulled open as they revealed four girls on each side, all shining with jewels from top to bottom. They then performed their dance as people awed and swooned over them, being memorized by the gorgeous girls that danced the night away.

"Some ball they have. I think they went all out," Riku muttered as he helped himself to the punch drink.

"Yeah. I mean, it's not bad but…maybe it's just a bit…too much?" Kairi pointed it out.

She, herself, was also decked out but not as much as how the other ladies were. She wore a red, strapless gown with the bottom puffy skirt. There were silver laces at the bottom, being decorated in an intricate pattern. For her top, it was plain but with silver laces, shaped in flowers that were outlined the heart-shaped top. She also wore white gloves that reached at her elbows. Her hair was in an elegant bun with a small crown, nestled on the top of her head.

Riku sighed, taking another drink. He was already bored and where the heck is Sora?

"Honestly. Has _anyone_ seen Sora?" Riku muttered.

"That's what I would like to know. That boy has been missing for a few days," Donald grunted. He hated these kind of balls. He was lucky that he didn't had to dress up for the occasion despite the attempts from Uberta who _wanted_ for him to wear but Donald eventually won.

"Hey, guys. How is it going?" Derek asked, joining the group.

"…Fun," Riku answered. It was worth a try though. "Um…you haven't happened to see Sora, by chance, have you?"

Derek paused, frowning. Has he? He could've sworn that he did but in his blind and haste, he was focused on the swan where he _thought_ it was the Great Animal but it was actually Odette. So, maybe, Sora _was_ with him but he just didn't noticed him…?

"Um…kind of? I guess. Sorry guys. He probably went off for some exploring," Derek apologized.

"But it's been a few days…" Riku mumbled.

"I'm sure he will come," Derek reassured him.

However, once the show was finally done and the applause subdued, all of a sudden, the door knocked and everyone went quiet. Uberta gasped and frowned at the sudden appearance.

"Chamberlain. All who were invited are present, are they not?" Uberta frowned.

"Well, yes, I mean, well," he gasped.

"Open the door! Chamberlain!" she demanded.

"It's the milkman, it must be the milkman," Chamberlain muttered. However, as soon as he reached the door, he gasped from shock and surprised when he saw that it wasn't the milkman but rather someone _unexpected._

It also seemed that the shock was being spread throughout the ballroom since people seemed to know who it was but Riku and the others were a bit confused. Who was at the door?

Once the doors were wide enough, it revealed a beautiful blonde woman with wavy shoulder-length hair. She was dressed in a long black gown with red sleeves at the top of her shoulders while a jewel sat in the middle of the top. She elegantly walked down the stairs and looked around as though she was looking for someone while also ignoring the murmurs that were spread throughout the ballroom.

"What's going on?" Goofy whispered.

The others were stumped but Kairi glanced around, studying the people's emotions and the gossips that were being talked about. It was especially interesting of the emotion Uberta was displaying. She looked completely shocked as though this girl shouldn't even be here _at all_.

"You guys…I think that's the princess _of this Kingdom_ ," Kairi said at last.

* * *

"What do you want, Cruella? Haven't you already had your fun?" Sora asked once the two were alone.

"Ah, you're always so _full_ of questions aren't you, boy?" Cruella grinned as she tapped at the bridge of his nose. Sora withdrew his face away but that made Cruella smile cruelly.

"You see, it's all fun and games around here," Cruella began as she picked up a nearby object, studying it before she put it on the ground. Her face darkened and she went closer to him. "Until you get serious. Now tell me, boy… _where_ is the second page? I know you have it. I can sense it. _Where_ is it!?"

"Why I should tell you? You're using it for your own gain. You're abusing it," Sora growled.

"Cute talk. Now, _tell me_!" Cruella exclaimed, irritated.

"Yeah, not going to happen," he said flatly.

Growling, Cruella fired her powers which struck Sora and he screamed in pain. It lasted a few seconds later though it left Sora exhausted.

"You're a fool," Cruella responded, narrowing her eyes. "The longer you hide it, the more you'll suffer until you die. I would choose carefully."

"My answer still remains the same."

"Then so be it."

After the small interrogation, Sora was completely exhausted. Cruella decided to leave him be for a while until she returns. He needed to get out of here. Not for himself but to warn Odette about Rothbart's plan and if he has to use magic, then so be it.

Once he somewhat caught his breath, he knew that trying to break free off the chains were useless so he didn't bother to pull the chains. Nevertheless, Sora paused as he was thinking off a plan to rescue himself.

Thinking, Sora summoned his Keyblade but felt an electric zap because he used magic though he ignored it.

Or the Wind spell. Even though the spell is mostly used to blow the enemies away but it doesn't _hurt_. Or maybe some ice magic…

Shrugging, Sora called out. "Blizzaga!"

The ice got casted from the Keyblade but the chains stung Sora. Regardless, he was much to focus on getting out of here. The ice then froze one of the chains, creeping up the shackle until it got completely frozen. Sora then waved his hand to the side, smashing the restraint though it hurt his hand. Nevertheless, Sora didn't care about the sting; he was just happy that one of his arms were free.

It was a good thing too. Since Cruella was probably on her way back.

He then proceeded to do the same thing on his other arm until he was finally released. Sora rubbed his wrists, catching his breath for a moment until he pushed himself up.

"Try and chain me, would you?" Sora smirked.

He ignored the tremble from his body and started to go to a small jog but then stopped. He turned to the right and saw that there was a medium-sized bookshelf but something caught his eye from the bookshelf.

Blinking, Sora turned towards run it, walking to it and there, in a closed book, something was fluttering. Curious, Sora opened the book only to have the page to hit right at his face.

"What the!" Sora said, surprised.

He took off the paper and widened his eyes from surprise.

"The paper…the lost page!"

Not having the time to read it fully, Sora stuffed the third page into his pocket and ran out.

* * *

The two danced away, relishing this moment in together. Derek twirled Odette around and two went back to a waltz. They didn't care that everyone was watching them; they just wanted to be together in this moment. They've been apart for far too long.

"Something about you seems…I don't know…different," Derek said.

"Don't worry. After tonight, everything will be perfect," Odette assured him.

Agreeing, Derek nodded. "Yes, yes of course. Rogers, I want to make an announcement. Stop the music."

 **Author's Note:** Oh dear. Oh my! Some crazy stuff happens. But honestly, writing Sora's escape gave me such a hard time. Hope I did it Justice but everyone better get to the ball on time and let Odette know! What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	47. An Everlasting Vow

Chapter 44: An Everlasting Vow

Everyone hushed as the music stopped when Derek announced his speech. All of the guests were curious as to what he has to say. The two lovers bowed to one another before Derek took her arm and the two walked down the red carpet.

"Kings and queens… Ladies and gentlemen… Mother…" Derek smiled, unable to hide his excitement. He has been searching Odette for far too long. Nothing could ruin this moment.

Nothing.

"I have an announcement to make. Today I have found my bride!" Derek exclaimed.

But while the speech was happening, Odette was staring at the large window as she was flying in one place, catching on what was happening with the scene. She was furious and upset. Furious that the fake Odette was there when it should've been _her_. Upset that she couldn't be there with Derek as how it was meant to be.

"No. Derek, it's a trick!" she whimpered.

But that wasn't the only dilemma. Sora was currently running towards the castle, running as fast as he could but he was really out of breath. His legs burn while his lungs cried out, begging for him to stop.

Regardless, Sora eventually tripped and fell down to the ground, slightly scraping his knees but he ignored it. However, he did took this moment to try and catch his heavy breath while he clenched his hands into fists.

He knew he wasn't probably going to be on time to tell Derek that it was a trick. So, he hoped Odette was already there, telling him that it was all a lie and how Derek should be with _her_. Not the fake one.

True love can be complicated, Sora noted and found this out a _long_ time ago. He would hate to be in this situation and he couldn't imagine if Kairi was someone else instead of herself.

But just by mentioning of Kairi, Sora _did_ felt that something was off about her but he didn't took it any seriously though. Perhaps, he should. For whatever reasons, known only to them, Riku and Kairi seems to have a rough relationship with each other which also had Sora to find that odd. They used to be pretty close too…

Decided that he wasted enough time, Sora got up and was about to run until he stopped when he saw that something was in front of him, a few meters ahead of him. He couldn't see exactly who it was as the darkness was cloaking him, camouflaging him.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Sora asked impatiently.

Did he really had to appear _now_?

" _The one with the power of the blade shall stop a rising darkness…"_

Sora widened his eyes with the familiarity of the quote. For a brief second, he dropped his guard.

"That…quote…" he murmured before he spoke out loud. "You! Who are you?"

There was silence after a moment which irritated Sora and he summoned his Keyblade.

"Listen: I don't have time for this! If you're not going to answer then just leave!" Sora exclaimed, annoyed. "I have other things to attend to."

"Do you know how to use your Keyblade properly?" the figure suddenly asked, completely throwing Sora off guard.

"What?" Sora asked, confused. "Of course I do! Why wouldn't I? Sure, it didn't chose me but at least, I can fight with it! Who _are_ you?"

The shadow seemed to ignore Sora's constant question of _'who are you?'_ Instead, it continued to say its own thing.

"One who knows little can understand nothing," it said. "The paper…I know you have it, boy. I can sense its fluttering presence. It is weakened. Tell me, once you collect all of it, what do you plan for using it?"

Sora blinked. He certainly hasn't expected this…

"Well…I…um…I…" he shook his head. "Are you working for Cruella DeVile? And what do you mean it's 'weakened?'"

"Cruella…? I know no names of _Cruella_. I work with my own. Silly boy. How do you hope to defeat this darkness if you know nothing about the Lost Pages? To use it, you must understand it. To understand it, you must use it."

Sora grew frustrated. This guy doesn't make any sense.

"You're not making any sense!"

"The page alone is weakened. It is hopeless in its current state and therefore, you cannot use its true power. However, when together, the pages possesses an unspeakable power. But be wary of how you use it. Should you abuse the power, terrible consequences will fall upon you…"

And then, the figure vanished which surprised Sora. He ran towards it but ended up too late.

"Hey, wait!" Sora shouted but found himself in a sticky situation since the enemies of what he had faced before—the Faceless—now appeared, circling around him. Growling, Sora summoned a powerful spell that took care of these guys.

"Thundaga!"

In an instant, the enemies that once swarmed around Sora had now vanished. Though, before Sora started to run, he looked around one last time and then took off towards the castle, hoping to get there in time.

* * *

"There's too many of them!" Riku shouted as he froze one of the enemies which Rothbart created.

"We have to keep fighting! To protect these people!" Kairi, sending one of her attacks of her own.

"Gawrsh, I wish Sora was with us…" Goofy replied, using his shield to block.

"Well, he isn't!" Donald muttered, angrily.

As though on cue, a streak of fire came, burning the enemies that were nearby Riku and Donald. One nearly burned Donald's feather and he grumpily turned around, trying to locate of the poor soul who would soon meet its end.

Riku stopped what he was doing, looking straight ahead only to widen his eyes. "Guys…it's…Sora!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing as they saw the brown-spiked haired boy running towards them.

"Sora!" Kairi cried out. "Where were you? You've been gone for way too many days!"

"Hi guys…I'm sorry…" Sora responded, placing his hands on his knees. He then straightened up. "Look: I'll tell you everything later but what happened here? Where is Odette? The real one?"

Riku furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I…don't understand. The real Odette? What we saw was that Derek took off after the Odette that we saw turned out to be fake and this magic being—Rothbart—came in and made these enemies appear and that's practically it. Derek made an everlasting vow to the fake Odette."

Sora widened his eyes. "An everlasting vow? Come on guys. I need your help."

Goofy shook his head. "We can't. Some of us has to stay here to defeat the enemies."

Kairi nodded. "He's right," she paused. "Riku, you go with Sora. Donald, Goofy and I will handle the pests. If Rothbart is still out there then Derek might need all the help he can get!"

Riku narrowed his eyes before he nodded. "Alright," and then he turned to Sora with a frown, pointing his finger at him. "And while we're running to wherever, _you_ can fill me in on where the heck you've been."

Sora grinned sheepishly.

* * *

Riku raised an eyebrow at Sora's story. He knew this world would have some far-fetch story but he didn't realize it would be _this much_.

"Wait, what? So…the um…real Odette turned to a Swan every night and then, Rothbart tricked Derek by making an everlasting vow to the fake Odette—the one we just saw _now_?"

Sora nodded as he slowly went into a jog. "Pretty much."

"Damn," Riku shook his head then paused. "But, who's the cloaked guy?"

Sora shrugged. "I don't know but whoever he is, he's up to no good."

"Sora… _anyone_ who has a black cloak can mean only one thing: Organization XIII. You should know that by now."

"I know. But…I don't think he works for Organization XIII. And he doesn't seem to work for Cruella, either. I've asked him; he refused."

"He probably refused to get you off his trail and the next thing, you know, he works for Cruella in the end," Riku reasoned with him.

Sora sighed. "At this point, nothing is certain."

They eventually reached the lake but when they did, they already saw Odette lying on the ground as well as Derek. Rothbart was already there, giving Derek a menacing glare, staring him down with his cold emotionless eyes.

Upon the scene, Sora clenched his fists tightly and made a small growl just by seeing Rothbart. He caused so much pain…so much _grief_. And he wasn't about to have Rothbart take Odette away from Derek.

Not again.

Mind made up, Sora ran towards him with Riku shouting after him but he ignored him. Growling, Sora made his Keyblade appear in his hands and then he jumped in the air just in time to block Rothbart's power that was about to hit Derek.

The attack got deflected, having it scorch the ground instead.

"You leave them alone!" Sora shouted, gripping the Keyblade tightly.

"Sora…?" Derek mumbled but Derek was soon joined by Riku who kneeled beside him.

Irritated, Rothbart growled. "You! How many times must we see each other!? Once was enough but _three times_? You're becoming a nuisance, boy!" he boomed.

Sora stared at him, confused "What do you mean three times? I only met you twice: one time at the lake where I first saw you and met Odette for the first time and the other was when you're with Cruella. Where's the third time?"

Rothbart's nasty grin grew wider. More maliciously. "Do you not remember, boy? How…predictable…"

And then, the evil magic doer gave out a wicked laugh as he had his powers going around him, transforming him into something else. Sora shielded his eyes from the blinding magic that surrounded the fiend though that only made Riku be more protective.

"Sora, get back…" Riku said, walking towards him as he made his Keyblade appear.

And then, where it should've been Rothbart, it was something else instead. Something big covered the beast before it spread out its humongous wings and the terrifying creature gave out an ear-piercing screech.

Sora gasped as a small flashback went into his mind, reminding him of how he went against this same creature from before…

"The Great Animal…" Derek said, shocked.

Angered, Derek grabbed his sword and went towards the creature, trying to make damage.

"NO! I won't let her die!" Derek shouted, bringing down the sword down but missed.

The beast was quicker and it knocked down Derek, making his sword clatter out of his hand. The animal pinned down the prince with its sharp claws and the prince was struggling for a moment.

"Derek, hang on!" Sora exclaimed and the two went rushing to the battlefield.

But because of the gigantic wings, the beast knocked the two Keyblade wielders with no effort at all. It send them tumbling down the ground backwards, away from Derek.

Derek then took his fist that was full of dirt and threw it at the beast's face who gave an irritated roar. The fighter started to make damage to the creature but it wasn't enough. The sword alone wasn't enough to make bigger injury.

Standing his ground, Derek pointed his sword threateningly but this made the brute to change his tactics. The winged animal then started to fly upwards, higher and higher until it was nowhere in sight which made it harder for Derek to see where he was.

"Where is he?" Derek exclaimed, angered.

"I…I don't know," Riku answered, looking for the beast.

All of a sudden, without a warning, a crack was heard, making Derek to turn around only to see the great fiend emerge from its hiding from a tree. It pinned Derek down to the ground once again, having the sword to fly out of his hand and the beast snapped it in two. It left Derek defenseless while he was struggling to get off.

But the pin didn't stop Derek from freeing himself. Seeing a rock that was close to him, he used the rock and hit it at its paw. The creature gave out a pained roar though Derek took this moment to escape its grip.

While the scene was unfolding, Puffin widened his eyes in realization after he snapped himself from the shock.

"The bow!" he exclaimed. "Derek's bow! Swim to the bottom of the lake and get the bow!" Puffin commanded as he threw Jean-Bob to the lake.

Eyes narrowed, Sora stared to run towards Derek who just got captured by the beast's claws and the two flew away. But before he could go any further, Sora was called out.

"Sora! Take this bow and give it to Derek! He may need it!" Puffin shouted. "Throw it!" he screamed.

Sora got the bow as Speed threw it and Riku and Sora then ran towards Derek who just fell to the ground, unconscious. Eyes narrowed, Riku focused his eyes at the beast that was coming down to Derek, ready to finish him. This made Riku clench his grip on his Keyblade and upon arriving at the scene on time, Riku went in front of Derek to block the attack from the animal.

While that saved Derek, Riku was unlucky. The beast grabbed Riku's Keyblade and raised him higher.

"Riku!" Sora shouted.

"Wake up, wake up! Allo! Good luck!" Jean-Bob furiously slapped Derek across the face.

Derek eventually woke up where he saw that his bow was right in front of him. Though, he didn't had any arrows to fire with. As though something answered his questions, he turned around and saw Brom who was across from him who was shaking as he was trying to fire his own arrow.

"Brom?" Derek asked, surprised.

"Oh please oh please oh please… Now!" Brom whimpered, firing the arrow.

Derek caught the flying arrow and notched it on his bow, turning around so that he was facing the beast.

"No!" Sora shouted. "You could hurt Riku!"

Derek narrowed his eyes as he waited his chance to fire. "Well, Riku just has to let go of his weapon."

Up above, Riku struggled but it wasn't until then that he got an idea. It wasn't anything fancy but enough to get off the ride. Riku went with his guts and let go of his Keyblade before he turned around, making a dive downwards.

"Riku!" Sora screamed.

"Derek, now!" Riku bellowed.

And then, Derek fired the arrow which narrowly missed Riku. While Riku was starting to get closer to the ground, Sora summoned a Wind Spell in order to have him fly down to safety.

With the aim being true, the arrow struck right at Rothbart's chest, making him scream in agony. The wicked beast fell down and down until he reached the lake, exploding with a splash while his magic went haywire, ending him.

 **Author's Note:** Okay, so I was really tempted to go more but I decided to end it here. There was so much going on so yeah…next chapter should be relaxing and easy going but that also means that next chapter is the final chapter for Odette's world which makes me sad :/ but speaking about sad, the world after Odette will be an even _sadder_ storyline…can guess you what world will be after Odette? Clue: think of the saddest Disney movies you've watched. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


	48. A Tale of Two Brothers

Chapter 45: A Tale of Two Brothers

The ballroom was bursting with crowd and with music that filled the air. It was a celebration. A celebration that a certain princess had finally return to their home. The real one.

"Don't you just love happy endings?" Kairi asked, dreamily. Odette and Derek danced together, sweeping across the floor in a light beat until Derek excused himself since there were people who wanted to talk to him. Odette didn't seemed to mind since she, herself, also went her own way.

"Uh huh," Donald replied.

After a long stare, Sora asked. "Do you think we should get going? To another world?"

Riku stared at him, grinning. "Why the rush? Too much to handle?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "No."

Riku chuckled to himself but nevertheless, the group found themselves heading straight towards the door that would lead out of the ballroom. But then, Sora stopped as he gave a one last glance across the floor.

"Um, hang on a minute, guys. There's something I want to do," Sora said.

* * *

"I'm ready for my kiss, mademoiselle," Jean-Bob proclaimed, puffing out his chest.

Odette grinned, amused. "Now don't be too disappointed, Jean-Bob, if nothing happens."

Jean-Bob smirked, grinning. "Finally, after all these years, I shall return to my throne."

"Don't forget to write," Speed pointed it out.

Jean-Bob frowned with a disapproved look. "You still don't believe me, do you?"

"The only thing you're going to turn is red, Speed remarked.

Ignoring the turtle, Jean-Bob turned his attention to Odette. "Well, I'm ready Odette. Voila! Well, Speed, what do you have to say now?" he chuckled, grinning in triumph.

Seed merely raised an eyebrow as he stared at Jean-Bob who was still…a frog. "Uh…"

Being proud, Jean-Bob started to walk away. "That's what I thought. And now if you don't mind, I've got some schmoozing to do."

Odette laughed, the pretty twinkling sound and it sounded like a genuine laugh. Something what Speed hadn't heard since they found out she was a Swan.

"Would you like a kiss, too?" she asked Speed.

Speed merely shook his head. "Nah. I'm happy as a turtle."

Out in the distance, they could Jean-Bob greeting. "Bonjour, Madam!"

Unfortunately, that didn't went too well since the lady screamed from fear.

"Aha! The ladies still for me!" he exclaimed.

"Um, Odette?"

Odette stopped what she was doing as she heard the new voice. She looked up and smiled when she saw Sora.

"Sora!" she exclaimed. "How can I ever thank you? Without your help, the reign of Rothbart would still be ruling."

Sora smiled a little. "It's nothing, really," he paused. "Now what are you going to do now that the curse is broken on you?"

"Catching up on what I had missed," Odette answered. "Which is…a lot."

Sora laughed a bit. "Well, um…I guess this is goodbye then."

Odette's face fell with sadness, having the thought of a new friend leaving already. "You guys are leaving?"

"Yeah. People to see, places to visit but I promise we would come back and visit."

"Well…okay. But…whatever it is you're doing, promise me you guys would be careful?"

Sora nodded. "I promise."

After the farewell, Sora and the group boarded on the ship and took off, leaving Odette's world. After a few minutes of flying, the ship went on a brief float since no one is controlling it for the time being.

"So uh, what world are we going to next?" Riku asked as he sat on a chair with his feet up on the board.

Donald scowled at the manner. "Would you get your feet off the board?"

"Nope," Riku grinned.

Sora peered across and saw Kairi who seemed to be drawing something. Curious, he walked towards her and sat beside her.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked.

"Well, I thought since we're going to different worlds, we could make a map so that way, we wouldn't get lost," Kairi responded while not looking up.

"Ooo, cool idea!"

Upon hearing this, Donald commented. "That's a great idea, Kairi! With Sora guiding us, we would for sure be lost!"

"I didn't ask you, Donald!" Sora exclaimed as he laughed.

Kairi giggled. "Cheer up, Sora. Anyway, so far, we've been to Rapunzel's world, Pocahontas's, Elsa's, Merida's and Odette's world. But now…this blank space I've roughly sketched…I'm not sure what world that is."

Sora stared at the shadowy silhouette of the world. "Hmm. Well, I guess there's one way to find out."

He got up and walked towards the pilot area. Staring at the window, he went quiet for a brief moment and then he withdrew his Keyblade. Concentrating, the blade started to glow before a portal appeared before them. Satisfied, Sora placed his Keyblade away and with a grin, he spoke.

"New world, here we come!"

* * *

The door opened, allowing Sora and the group to walk out of the ship. They landed in a nearby woods, away from the people that could potentially live in this area. Riku knelt down and saw a flower that was just starting to bloom.

"Hey, I think we came at a spring season," Riku pointed it out. "The flower's just starting to bloom."

"Wow…you're such a genius, Riku," Donald said bluntly. Riku scowled.

"That's great and all but are any of you guys cold?" Sora replied, slightly shivered.

The group gave a shake of their nods.

"Great," Sora muttered.

Riku stared down at the path, eyes narrowed. "Let's head down that way. See where we are."

They started to walk down, going up some hills but the air does seem to be a bit colder than it was. Regardless, they continued to walk until they heard a scream which made them pause.

"Did you hear that?" Sora asked.

"That definitely sounded like a scream," Goofy spoke. "And I think we should—Sora! Sora!"

Too late.

Sora had already bolted to the direction of where the scream was coming from. The group all came to the scene where they saw a huge bear who seemed to be trapping three people.

"Come on! We have to go and help them!" Sora exclaimed.

"Make sure that isn't Queen Elinor!" Donald called out.

"That isn't funny, Donald!"

Sora reached the scene and shouted. "Hey bear! Over here!"

From the shout, the ferocious bear turned around, snarling and growling and it started to charge towards them. Summoning his Keyblade, Sora called out his power.

"Deep freeze!"

The bear recoiled back, just narrowly avoiding the blast. Sora rolled to the side to avoid the charging bear. At once, Riku and the others all had their weapons summoned to them as they started to fight.

"Who are they?" one of the boys asked, watching the scene with curiosity.

Another boy, who seemed to be the oldest, shook his head. "No clue."

The one beside the eldest started to get up. "Well come on. Get up and go."

"But we can't leave them to that bear," the youngest protested.

"There's nothing we can do," the one in the middle insisted. He wanted to get away from them. If he could save these two, then he wouldn't have to worry. "What can we do?"

And then, there was a short scream followed by a growl. The oldest one whipped his head to the scene where he saw the blue haired boy having his back scratched by the bear but he quickly dismissed it since he automatically got back to the fight. He spoke something what the oldest boy couldn't really understood what it means. He didn't knew what the word means but it must've worked since the bear stumbled back a few centimeters but it quickly composed itself.

Narrowing his eyes, the oldest one went towards the scene.

The younger one gave out a gasp and exclaimed.

"Sitka!" he exclaimed as he watched the brother running off.

"Sora, stay there! It's too dangerous where you are!" Riku shouted, watching Sora being trapped. He was at the edge of the glacier and the bear continued to advance on him. Riku looked torn. Half of him wanted to make a move…to have the bear be confuse and let the animal attack him instead. But if he did, it would've got Sora to fall. He knew that if Sora made a move, especially if both of them used a Fire spell—or any spell that would cause a tremor—they would be plunged below.

He looked to the side. Donald got injured but Kairi's Cure helped him heal. Goofy was out of commission.

Just then, something struck the bear at the side which gave it a growl. The beast turned to the side only to see a boy running towards him. However, Sitka quickly studied his area and saw that there were cracks. He hurriedly rushed towards his spear where he grabbed it in time.

Before he performed his plan, he looked one last time at his brothers before he struck the ground with the spear. The spear cracked through the glaciers, earning a tremor.

Sora began to lose his balance but he quickly started to run, away from the edge but the glacier quickly caught up to him. Eventually, both Sitka and Sora fell down below along with the bear who gave out a roar.

Riku widened his eyes, staring horrifyingly at the scene that just got unraveled. With a scream, he bellowed.

"SORA!"

" _ **SITKA!"**_

 **Author's Note: **My Gawd. I hated writing this chapter. The death scene would always make me cry T_T Damn it, Disney! Stop breaking my heart! *Le sob* You best be prepared for this world because it's gonna be a heartbreaking one. What happens next? Find out! Toodles!


End file.
